With Many Happy Returns
by amaliesofie
Summary: After (accidentally) offending Liv, Caroline leaves her friendsgiving dinner to find her, but instead finds herself face to face with another witch she never thought she'd see again. (Klaroline crossover)
1. Uninvited guests

**This short fanfiction/drabble series/whatever you like to call it takes place after TVD 6x07 and TO 2x07, so (some) spoilers!**  
><strong>It will completely disregard the Steroline scene from TVD (just no) and the last scene from TO with Camille and Esther (even more no)<strong>

**So join me in an installment of "Unlikely crossovers" and write a letter to Santa so we can make this shit canon. Happy (belated) thanksgiving and merry Christmas!**

* * *

><p>"Liv!" Caroline called as she walked the empty halls of the dorm.<p>

This was not how her friendsgiving dinner was supposed to go. They were supposed to be eat, give thanks and get a hell of a lot drunk. But here she was; looking for Tyler's new 'something', who she had accidentally offended. Hell, Caroline killed her brother and this is what the witch chose to be mad about?

"Liv! Will you please just come out here so I can apologize? I'm sorry, okay?" she yelled into thin air and expectedly got no answer. "Where the hell is the witch?!"

"Right here, darling." an unfamiliar voice called out and Caroline turned to find herself face to face with a strange woman, who looked at the blonde as if they knew each other. Caroline blinked in surprise and then looked around warily, not sure how the woman had managed to sneak up on her.

"Uhm… I didn't mean like a real witch, because clearly they don't exist." Caroline laughed nervously and the woman just smiled back at her.

"But we both know that they do. Isn't that right, Caroline?" the woman asked her softly and it took Caroline a couple of seconds to realise that the stranger had used her name.

"Do I know you?" Caroline asked with her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"Oh, I don't think we've officially met, but I am planning on getting to know you much better." the woman told her with a warm smile, but there was something off about the look in her eyes.

Caroline didn't get a chance to answer before a loud crack resounded through the hall and her world went dark.


	2. Monster

"What-" Caroline whispered to herself as she slowly awoke, but her voice broke as pain cursed through her body.

She was lying down on a hard wooden table and her hands had been shackled together somewhere over her head. Her feet were locked to the table as well, leaving her stretched out and vulnerable for whoever had taken her.

The cold air that pricked her skin made her notice that both her red cardigan and boots were gone. That left her in only her thin white dress and by lifting her head slightly; Caroline could see that it after all still was white. No blood. Yet.

A noise from somewhere in her blind spot made her turn her head, but she couldn't catch sight of the other person in the room. 'Room', Caroline realised wasn't really a fitting term for where she was being kept. The stone walls and overgrown plantation reminded her of something out of a scary movie.

Caroline bit back her painful groans as she pulled at her restraints, but they didn't seem to move an inch and she relaxed her body with a frustrated sigh. It wasn't as if she hadn't been in situations like this many times before. Was it some sort of conspiracy against her? 'Always kidnap Caroline' had to be the motto.

"Who's there?" Caroline asked in a hoarse voice as she heard steps from somewhere behind her. A shadow fell over her moments later and Caroline found herself staring up at the woman from the dorms.

"It's just me." the woman replied in a warm southern accent that completely contradicted the malice her gaze held.

"And who the hell are you?" Caroline sneered back at her as she glared back. She didn't know when – or if – help was coming, but she definitely weren't going to beg for mercy. She had been through too much shit these past couple of weeks to just give up and cry.

"Ah, yes. I remembered you as quite the spiteful one. Seems as if my memory serves me correct." the woman responded with amusement and Caroline felt herself become angry.

"Look, lady, I have no idea who you are or what you want from me, so let me go before my friends come and kill you." Caroline threatened back, not sure how empty her words were.

"Well, perhaps you remember me with a different face." the woman said and Caroline frowned in confusion. "My son has taken a particularly… _liking_ to you."

The witch watched as the wheels spun inside the blonde's head and smirked as her eye widened in realisation.

"_Esther_? Klaus' mother?!" Caroline asked with disbelief and seemed to look at the witch in a whole new light.

"And a brain to go with it all. Niklaus made a surprisingly good choice with you." Esther replied with an eerie smile that made Caroline shiver and feel even more vulnerable than before. Did this mean she wasn't in Mystic Falls anymore?

"Listen, if you're trying to get to Klaus through me, it won't work. We haven't seen each other for months and I'm sure he's forgotten all about me." Caroline tried to reason, hoping that the Original witch would believe her.

"You greatly underestimate yourself, young one." the witch mused as let a finger glide across Caroline's cheek. The blonde tried to shy away from the touch, but Esther just followed. "I have seen from the Other Side how Niklaus pines for you. I know what he promised you."

Caroline wasn't sure which of the two promises the witch was talking about, but heat rose to her cheeks at the thought of both.

"I'm not telling you anything." Caroline told with a lifted chin as she met Esther's gaze, but the witch just laughed at her.

"I don't need you to tell me nothing. I have not brought you here to hurt you, Caroline. I brought you here to hurt my son." Esther sneered back at her and the blonde felt how fear cursed through her veins.

She had had nightmares about this. Enemies of Klaus coming to take her, because they thought she meant more to him than she really did. She was a baby vampire and he was the Original hybrid. In the scheme of it all, Caroline meant nothing.

"Don't you think you've done enough? Maybe your children would like you better if you stopped trying to kill them all." Caroline told her with a snarky voice, not sure where she got the courage from.

"Mind your tongue, child." Esther bit back and Caroline couldn't stop herself from flinching at the hard tone. "I have sacrificed more for my family than you will ever know. And I have come back to save them from themselves. An offer I am willing to grant to you. Maybe you will be the one to persuade Niklaus to listen to me."

"What?" Caroline asked confusedly as she didn't understand what Esther was talking about.

"Finn and Kol, my other two sons; I have brought them back as warlocks. I wish the same for the rest of my children. To give them a mortal life and stop all of this bloodshed. But Niklaus has denied me."

"Seriously? Do you even know your own son? Klaus would never want to become mortal again." Caroline scoffed at the witch, who sent her a calculated smile in return.

"But what if he was given the chance to have a family? To start over with the woman he loves? Maybe even have a child to replace the one he lost." Esther narrated with an almost soft voice and Caroline stilled at the information she had been given. Klaus' child was dead? How didn't she know that? Right, because Damon usually brought her gossip from New Orleans and he had been death for four months.

Esther didn't seem to notice Caroline's sudden paralysation and continued on undeterred.

"I can give you your life back, Caroline. You can choose whatever body you want and I will transfer you into it. You can be a witch, a human or even a werewolf if you wish so."

"And what? I'm supposed to grow old with Klaus and pop out children for him? Who says I would even want to be with Klaus? I mean, 70 years with that guy would drive anyone crazy." Caroline told the witch with a roll of her eyes, almost forgetting the situation she was in.

"Let's not fool ourselves, dear. We both know that when the right time comes, you will stay with Niklaus for the rest of your immortal life. But I can give you more than that." Esther urged the baby vampire and Caroline almost laughed in response. If Esther really wanted her help, then maybe she should have asked nicely before chaining her to a table.

"More than an eternity?" Caroline asked with a dubious frown and a flare of anger appeared in the witch's eyes.

"I can give you children. They will bring you more love and joy that you could ever hope for in your immortal life." Esther sneered at her, but Caroline didn't flinch this time.

"Because that has worked out well for you."

"Are you willing to accept my offer?" Esther inquired with a steely voice and Caroline sent her an unyielding stare in response.

"No." was Caroline's short answer, but there wasn't a shadow of doubt in her voice.

"So you'll stay a monster."

"You're the monster!" Caroline hissed at the witch. Her head flew upwards and her mouth opened in a soundless gasp, when a large knife was suddenly thrust through her heart. Her eyes were wide in shock as she looked at Esther, but they soon closed as Caroline's head fell back on the table.

The witch didn't waste any time as she quickly plucked the petals from the same orchid she had used to put Elijah in his dream state. She gently placed the petals on the dead girl's collarbone and then raised her hands above Caroline. When her magic had done its work, she removed the bloodied knife from Caroline's chest.

When the blonde came back to life, she wouldn't awake to the world she knew. She would be trapped inside her head and nightmares as Esther proved to her who the real monster was.

"You might have fooled yourself, child, but I see your heart's true intent. But do not fret because soon you can stop feeling guilty. Soon you will hate Niklaus as much as you wish you did." Esther whispered into Caroline's unlistening ear as she stroked her blonde hair.


	3. I dreamed a dream

"Klaus?" Caroline called out hesitantly as she moved through the large compound that was the hybrid's New Orleans residence.

There was a strange silence around her and for a moment Caroline wondered if they were out looking for her. Maybe her friends had found out she was missing and called Klaus from Mystic Falls.

As it turned out that hadn't been necessary. Apparently, Esther was a lot easier to be reasoned with than expected. Saying no was all it took for Esther to let her go.

It had seemed too good to be true, but Caroline was just happy to be out of there. The witch had even told her where she could find Klaus so she could go back to her friends in Mystic Falls as quickly as possible.

"Anyone here?" Caroline asked into thin air, but no one answered.

With a small sigh, Caroline widened her senses and frowned when strange noises met her supernatural ears. It almost sounded as if someone was struggling with someone else and Caroline immediately flashed towards the sound.

She made it to the room within a couple of seconds and then slowly pushed at the already open door to look inside. It looked like some sort of common room with adjoining doors into a large bedroom. But the large room and its expensive looking furniture weren't what made Caroline lose her breath.

Because just across from her were Klaus and Hayley; naked and up against a wall. Hayley was wrapped around Klaus' hips and pressed against the wall as Klaus thrusted inside her again and again. Hayley's mouth was open in a soundless moan while Klaus was busy biting into her neck.

"Oh my God." Caroline whispered as she finally got back her voice and then flashed away, hoping they hadn't noticed her.

She wasn't that lucky though as she was suddenly cut off by Klaus, who had had somehow managed to put on a pair of pants with unbelievable speed, leaving him only shirtless.

"Caroline." he greeted with a careless voice and an indifferent look in his eyes. Caroline quickly took a long step away from him as she blinked rapidly to get rid of the tears in her eyes.

She hated that she wanted to cry because of what she had just seen and just the mere smell of Hayley all over the hybrid's body made her nauseous.

"Klaus." she said with a small nod and forced herself to meet his gaze. "I was just leaving."

"Why are you here?" Klaus asked with a cock of his head, but he didn't really seem that curious about it.

"Your mother, she brought me here. She thought I could convince you to take her offer by becoming human myself. When I said no she let me go. I just needed your help to get back to Mystic Falls, but I see you're busy." Caroline snapped at him as she crossed her arms. She was getting angry with him and it felt nice to be distracted from her hurt feelings.

"My mother really has lost her touch." Klaus laughed maniacally and then took a step closer to Caroline. "Why do you think she took you, love?"

Caroline couldn't help but gulp at the tone of his voice and the way he was looking at her with amusement. There was something completely off about the way he said her name and called her 'love'. It made her heart race in a completely different way than it used to.

"I don't know…" Caroline replied with a small shrug, but Klaus just smirked at her. Of course she knew.

"Because of our connection, perhaps?" he suggested with a raised brow that made Caroline suck in breath.

"I guess." was all she managed to choke out and she noticed how Klaus seemed to revel in the fact that she was scared of him.

"I suppose you told her about our day in the woods then. How you made me promise to never come back." Klaus said with a nonsensical voice that left Caroline confused.

"Wh-what?" Caroline stammered and took another step backwards as Klaus took one forward, making him smile maliciously.

"Well, the only reason why she let you go must have been because she knew that you meant nothing to me now." Klaus explained with a shrug and Caroline felt the tears well back into her eyes. "Now that is out of systems we have moved on. Isn't that true?"

"I- I need to go." Caroline told him as she tried to move past him, but he quickly grabbed her arm and shoved her against a nearby wall. She yelped in pain as the back of her head connected with the wall, but Klaus didn't seem to care the slightest as he loomed over her.

"You see, love. All I really ever wanted was a taste of you." Klaus said as he leaned down and sniffed the side of her neck, making her jerk in his hold of her. "And you were _delicious_."

Before Caroline could even reply, Klaus' lips crushed against hers in a bruising kiss and Caroline felt how panic spread through her body. She placed her hands against his chest as she tried to push him away with all of her strength, but it only succeeded when he stepped away himself a couple of seconds later.

"Get away from me, you psychopath!" Caroline yelled at him and shoved him away to the other side of the hall.

"Psychopath?" Klaus asked with a faked hurt expression on his face that was quickly overtook by a smirk. "I thought you saw the good in me."

"Or are you finally beginning to understand what your little friends were telling you?" Klaus continued as he moved forward once more and Caroline pressed herself as close to the wall as possible. "There is no good in me, Caroline. You just believed that because I made you feel special. Truth is you're not."

"Go to hell." Caroline sneered at him and took a step forward in anger.

"You are nothing, _love_, but stupid, shallow and useless to all of your friends. That's why you were always the distraction. You were just the sacrificial lamb that they sent in to the lion's den." Klaus told her calmly with a smirk on his lips and this time Caroline couldn't stop the tear that travelled down her cheek.

"You're a monster!" she yelled at him and the stinging sound of a slap rang through the hall as her hand connected with his cheek. His head snapped to the side with the punch, but Caroline didn't have time to run before his hand curled around her neck.

"That I am, my love. And I look forward to showing you exactly how right you are." Klaus mused as Caroline slowly choked in his grip. He stared at her for a couple of seconds more before twisting his hand and Caroline fell to the floor with a broken neck.


	4. Greetings

"Caroline?" Elena called into the empty room as she returned to her bed after her talk with Damon.

She hadn't seen her friend since the blonde had gone looking for Liv and had expected her to just have gone back to their room afterwards, even though not cleaning up after their failed friendsgiving dinner didn't seem like her. What was even more weird was that Tyler had texted her that he had found Liv, but Elena had heard nothing from Caroline for at least two hours.

With a bad feeling in her stomach, she called Tyler to make sure Caroline hadn't stopped by.

"Hey Tyler." Elena greeted as the former hybrid picked up his phone. "You haven't seen Caroline within the last couple of hours, have you? I don't know where she is."

"_No_." Tyler replied with a hint of confusion in his voice. "_Is something wrong?_"

"I don't know. I don't think so, but with everything going on and the hunters knowing her name, I'm just worried. Maybe it's nothing, but…"

"_I get it. I'll go out and look for her._"

"Thanks. Text me if you find her."

"_You too_." Tyler said before hanging up. Elena took a minute to think about where Caroline could possibly be, but her concern was starting to cloud her thoughts. She then found another name in her contacts and waited for his reply.

"_Elena, hey._" Stefan said as he picked up his phone and Elena took a calming breath.

"Is Caroline with you?"

"_No. I think she'd rather stab herself with the turkey carving knife than be around me._" Stefan responded with a bitter laugh, but then seemed to realise something was off about Elena's voice. "_Why?_"

"It's just that I don't know where she is. She went out to find Liv a few hours ago, but no one has heard from her since. She didn't even come back to clean up the table from our dinner." Elena quickly explained and she hadn't noticed that she was now pacing the floor nervously.

"_That doesn't sound like her. Have you tried calling her?_" Stefan said with worry clear in his voice.

"I did an hour ago, but she didn't answer."

"_Okay, try again and then get Damon. I'll come over so we can look for her._" Stefan told her and Elena nodded absentmindedly. She wasn't exactly thrilled about spending time with Stefan's older brother (and her ex-boyfriend, apparently), but the possibility of Caroline being in danger by far outweighed her own discomfort.

"Okay, I'll see you."

"_Bye._"

After hanging up, Elena quickly found Caroline's name under her favourites and pressed the green icon on her touch screen. She tapped her foot impatiently as it connected to Caroline's phone.

"_This is Caroline Forbes and I can't answer your call at the moment. But leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Or call me back some other time! Okay… Bye!_" Caroline's voice rang on the other end, but there was no one there to answer Elena.

With a small sigh Elena sped out of their room and found Damon at the bar where she had left him.

"Caroline's missing." she told as Damon's head perked up to look at her.

"I'm so not in the mood for this." Damon groaned as he emptied the rest of his drink and slowly got up from his chair.

"Damon." Elena chastised the vampire, who then spun Elena around and walked them out of there with his hands on her shoulders.

"Come on, let's go find Blondie." Damon said with a sudden serious expression and Elena looked at him with surprise. Since when did Damon Salvatore care about the safety of Caroline Forbes?

Half an hour later there was still no sight of her and Stefan hadn't found her either. They had called both the sheriff, Matt and even Enzo, but Caroline had disappeared from the face of the earth.

"Could she be in Mystic Falls?" Stefan asked worriedly as they walked down another empty hall.

"Matt would have heard something if they had taken her." Elena tried to reassure him, but it didn't seem to work for either of them. "I'll call her again."

The three of them stopped as Elena found her phone and called up Caroline.

"Wait. Did you hear that?" Damon suddenly asked as Elena still waited for Caroline's voice message. Both Stefan and Elena then widened their senses and they soon heard the unmistakably sound of a phone ringing. Elena recognised with dread Caroline's ring tone.

The three of them quickly flashed towards the sound and found the ringing phone on the floor in a hall close by just as Elena reached the voice message. Quickly, Stefan picked up the phone and saw the missed calls and text messages they had all sent her.

"What the hell?" Damon then spoke as he noticed something the others hadn't. Elena and Stefan turned to see Damon taking down an envelope that was taped to the wall and Elena's breath hitched when she saw the addressee.

"_To Elena Gilbert_" the letters read in an oddly familiar font and Elena reached for it with almost shaking hands.

"_Dear Elena,_" she started reading out loud and looked up to see the brothers stare at her intently.

"_I wish you a happy thanksgiving. I hope that you, like I do, have something to be thankful for this year and that you despite your losses still continue to be the brave girl I once met. Even after so many months the loss of the anchor must still hurt you in great ways. I will say that despite her affiliations with vampires, Ms. Bennett always held my respect. _

_I know how terribly worried you must now be for your other friend, but trust my words that she will not be harmed. You will have Caroline back soon enough, but there is something I must discuss with her in private. Something she must understand before I give her back to you. Do not worry, child. Your friend will be saved. _

_With many happy returns,  
>Esther<em>"

There was a stunned silence as Elena finished reading the letter and the doppelgänger found herself gaping as she stared down at it. Suddenly it was taken from her hands and she looked up to see Damon reading it through before handing it to Stefan. 

"Of all the people to make it out before the Other Side was destroyed." Damon growled with irritation and clenched his fist. "It just had to be her."

Despite the fact that they had tried to help her kill of her children (before they knew it would kill them as well), she was still far down their 'people we like' list. Hell, she was even beneath Klaus.

"So we really think _that_ Esther somehow came back to life and took Caroline?" Stefan questioned with a frown, but he clearly had trouble finding another explanation himself.

"Okay, who do we know, who has a crush on Caroline? Hint: they frick-fracked in the woods." Damon said with an annoyed tone, but he still enjoyed how Stefan's lips suddenly became a thin line. "And do we know a witch named Esther, who might be able to somehow come back from the dead? Hint: she has done it before."

"And what does the two have in common? They are family and they freaking hate each other. So what I think is that Blondie has been caught in the middle and someone has to get her out really fast before Esther kills her and Klaus starts tearing down cities." Damon finished as he pointed at the letter and Elena took a shaky breath.

"It says here that Caroline won't be harmed." Stefan tried to argue, but it was more an attempt to reassure himself than anything else.

"Yes, let's trust the witch who wanted to kill us all not that long ago." Damon replied with a snarky voice, but Elena could somehow hear the worry in his voice.

"It says she's going to speak with Caroline. Make her understand something." Elena commented as she took back the letter from Stefan. "Do you think she's torturing her?"

"I don't know, Elena." Damon told her in a soft voice and placed a soothing hand on her arm before removing it again. She sort of wished he would have let it stay. She needed the comfort.

"And what does she mean by 'your friend will be saved'? Is she expecting us to save her or is it Klaus or something else entirely?" Elena continued as she stared down on Esther's words until they swam and became incomprehensible to her eyes. No one answered since no one had an answer and a short silence fell over them.

"Do you think she's gone to New Orleans?" Elena then asked and the brothers shared a long look before shrugging. It seemed like a long way to transport Caroline, but if Esther was trying to get to Klaus then that made most sense.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Damon said as he plucked Elena's phone from her hand and found the right name in the contact list.

"_Did you find her?_" Tyler asked worriedly, when he took Damon's call.

"Sorry, Lockwood. It seems like your ex-girlfriend has been taking on an unwilling vacation. We need the witch to track her down." Damon replied sturdily and then waited impatiently as Tyler talked to Liv.

"_Bring us something of Caroline's and she'll do it._"

"Good boy." Damon told with a small smirk before he hung up. Elena was glaring at him, but he ignored her gaze and quickly flashed away to Elena and Caroline's room.

Elena and Stefan were right behind him and the doppelgänger quickly grabbed one of Caroline's favourite necklaces before they all went to find Tyler and Liv.

A few minutes later the necklace hit a spot on the map and they all shared a look as they read the words 'New Orleans' written over it.

"How the hell did she get there so fast?" Damon muttered to himself. There was at least a fifteen hour drive from Whitmore to New Orleans and he somehow doubted Esther had a driver's license.

"Klaus took her?!" Tyler yelled angrily over Damon's comment and Elena noticed how Liv seemed to jump a little. Of course, the witch didn't much about Tyler's history with Klaus, so she didn't expect the outburst like the others had.

"No, Esther did." Elena told him quickly as she handed him the letter. "We think to get to Klaus."

"So what do we do now?" Tyler asked more calmly, but Elena noticed how his fingers curled into the paper, almost destroying it in his grasp.

"We do the only thing we can." Elena said determinedly as she took back her phone from Damon and found a number she had hoped she would never have to use. "We call Klaus."


	5. Words, words, words

"MOTHER!" Klaus roared as he strode through the dark cemetery with brother on his heels. He was only slightly surprised that no wolves came out to greet them, but with Finn's capture they had probably scattered all over the quarter. He would take care of those later.

Because right now he was going to kill his mother. He didn't care that she would just jump to another body. All he needed was to hold her beating heart between his fingers so he could rip it out. Again.

"MOTHER!" Klaus yelled once more as they stood outside the stone room she had earlier used to hold Elijah.

"I don't think she is going to answer you, Niklaus." Elijah told him calmly as he stopped beside him and Klaus glared back at him with untamed rage. Without another word they moved inside, prepared to face their mother once again.

"She is not here." Elijah stated with a hint of surprise in his voice, but his brother didn't hear him as he flashed to the still body that was chained to a table. Caroline's pale skin was almost white and for a moment the Originals were she had stopped breathing.

Klaus' movements were gentle as he reached out and placed his hand against her cheek. With violent shakes, Caroline's body sprung back to life as her back almost bended off the table, but her eyes remained closed. Klaus pulled away his hand as if he had burned himself and Caroline became still once more.

The hybrid turned to look at his brother in shock and then back to the baby vampire, whose head had fallen to the side and left her neck exposed. It was then Klaus noticed the petal marks that he had also found on Elijah and he almost reached out to touch her collarbone, before reminding himself what might happen.

"What did she do to you, love?" Klaus whispered to the sleeping girl and then looked up to see his brother stand on the other side of the table. With an asking gaze Elijah reached out to touch Caroline and Klaus gave him a small nod as he stared at his brother's hand.

They both let out an inaudible sigh of relief as Caroline didn't react to Elijah's touch, but Klaus then felt himself grow angrier. This was clearly revenge for what he had done to his father and he feared what damage Esther might have done on Caroline.

"She is barely breathing, Niklaus. We must get her out of here now." Elijah said calmly as he called his brother out of his murderous thoughts. They could worry about their mother later.

Klaus reacted quickly as he reached out and pulled down the hex doll that made the chains impossible to break. He didn't mind the vervain that burned his skin – another gift from his mother – and dropped it to the ground before he moved to remove the shackles around Caroline's wrist.

"Don't." Elijah interrupted him before his fingers reached their target and Klaus sent his brother an impatient glare. "You cannot touch her, Niklaus. Allow me."

Klaus was quickly getting tired of his mother's games, but took a step back as Elijah tore off Caroline's restraints. Klaus almost reached out for her by instinct when the blonde was finally free, but Elijah had already taken her in his arms.

Caroline's curls cascaded down as her head hung limply and the only thing that assured Klaus that she was still alive was the non-grey colour of her skin and her almost inaudible breathing.

The brothers shared a look before they both flashed out of the cemetery. The compound was quiet as they entered – except for Kol's loud and incessant singing from somewhere inside the large residence – and Klaus strode through the open space of the courtyard with Elijah on his heels.

"Where the hell have you two-" Hayley's voice called from the second floor, but she cut herself short when she saw the lifeless blonde in Elijah's arms. "Holy shit, is that _Caroline_?"

"Nice to see that you are using that supernatural vision for something." Klaus barked at her, but Hayley just rolled her eyes.

"What happened? Why is she here?" Hayley asked as she followed the men through the halls. Neither Hayley nor Elijah questioned why Klaus was leading them towards his chambers. "She looks dead."

"Hayley, I would advise you to stay quiet for the time being." Elijah warned with a stern glare and Hayley agreed with an irritated sigh.

It seemed as if she could do nothing right in Elijah's eyes anymore. Despite that she kept trailing behind him while she stared at Caroline's slouched head. She was surprised by the feeling of uneasiness in her stomach.

Elijah gently placed Caroline on Klaus' bed and the Original hybrid quickly found the remainder of the antidote he had used earlier used on Elijah. He ignored the feeling of guilt as he was reminded of who had helped him find it and looked down at the blonde on his bed. This surely wasn't how he imagined it would be finally having her here.

Klaus stood indecisively with the antidote in his hand as Elijah reached for it and finally Hayley took it out of his hands with an impatient huff. Caroline's life was in danger and Klaus chose now to be possessive and a douchebag.

Surprisingly, the Original hybrid didn't protest as Hayley carefully smeared the thick cream over the petal markings and a pregnant silence fell over the room when she stepped away from the blonde.

The whole of Caroline's body seemed to lift from the bed when she suddenly took a deep breath, but she immediately fell back down and Klaus moved forward when she stopped breathing completely.

The three of them weren't sure if their eyes were betraying them or if Caroline in fact was staring to desiccate, but Klaus didn't hesitate as he bit it into his wrist and placed it against Caroline's lips. Unknowingly, he held his breath and stared at the girl with wide eyes as he waited for his blood to make it into her system.

Klaus let out a trembling sigh, when he finally felt Caroline's mouth move against his skin and clenched his hand slightly when her fangs suddenly pierced through it. He quickly sat on the bed beside Caroline and brought his free hand to the back of her head to sit her up. The blonde's eyes were stilled closed as her hands wrapped around his hand and arm and she drank with a new hunger.

Klaus couldn't help but smile at her as Caroline finally opened her eyes, but the smile fell when panic settled into Caroline's eyes and he suddenly found her missing from the bed. A muffled sob was heard from the other end of the room and Klaus spun around to look at Caroline with shock in his eyes.

The two Originals and the hybrid stared at Caroline as she pressed herself as far into the corner she was standing in as possible. Her blue eyes were fear-stricken as they darted around the room, looking for an escape and she was all but clawing at the walls around her.

"Caroline." Klaus spoke softly as he took a step towards the blonde and he watched her flinch at the sound of his voice.

"No! Stay away! Do you hear me? Don't come any closer!" Caroline screamed as she pointed accusingly at him with teary eyes. Klaus opened his mouth to speak again, but nothing came out.

"Listen. We won't hurt you, okay?" Hayley then tried when the silence had stretched on longer than she could bear and took a trying step towards the blonde. Caroline's gaze quickly snapped to the hybrid, but the fear in her eyes had been replaced with disgust.

"Right." Caroline laughed maniacally, making the three spectators share a confused look. "As if I would ever believe a word coming out of your mouth! You're just a backstabbing slut!"

Elijah noticed Hayley's change of mood much faster than Klaus did and managed to grab the fiery brunette before she attacked Caroline. Klaus seemed too shocked to do anything but stare at the small struggle and then return his gaze to a glaring Caroline.

"Calm down, Hayley." Elijah breathed heavily into the hybrid's ear as she trashed against his hold around her waist and the sudden realisation of their closeness seemed to distract from her anger. Slowly, Hayley lifted her hands in mock surrender and Elijah removed his arm from around her before straightening his jacket.

"Let me." Elijah then spoke in a deep voice and moved forward with measured steps. Caroline kept her eyes on Klaus for a long moment before she finally turned to look at Elijah with a surprisingly calm gaze. The blonde stopped her frantic moving as Elijah stepped close, but still pressed herself into the corner behind her.

"You are safe now, Caroline. No one here will hurt you." Elijah told her insistently, making it almost sound as if he was compelling her.

"Why should I trust you?" Caroline asked suspiciously and cast a quick glance at Klaus that didn't go unnoticed.

"I give you my word and I always keep my word." Elijah assured her and there was a long pause before Caroline nodded hesitantly. Her body also seemed to relax slightly and Klaus took a small step forward, making the girl tense up once more as if she could sense him move.

"Will you tell me what my mother did to you?" Elijah inquired carefully and gave a small nod to the bloodied tear in Caroline's white dress. The girl followed his gaze and frowned as if she didn't know where it came from.

"She took me from Whitmore, I don't know how, and then she wanted me to go into someone else's body and become human again, but I said no. And then-" Caroline quickly explained, making her words come out jumbled, but she suddenly seemed unable to go on.

"Then she let me go and said I could go here." the blonde continued after taking several shaky breaths. "And _they_ were here and I saw them."

Both Klaus and Hayley frowned when Caroline glared at them and then looked at each other with confusion. When they both realised what Caroline meant, Hayley shivered visibly and Klaus let his hand glide over his face in frustration. Would that mistake never stop haunting him?

"He told me he was a monster and that I was nothing." Caroline told as she hugged herself and slowly glided down the wall, when her legs wouldn't carry her anymore. Elijah crouched down to her level and waited with patience for the crying girl to continue.

"Then he snapped my neck and when I woke up he started torturing me and kept telling me how I should hate him for everything he's done. And I do. I hate him so much." Caroline finished with a shaking voice and her gaze was empty when she turned to look at Klaus.

"Caroline, this was all a dream." Elijah told her as he reached out and turned her head back to him. The blonde clearly thought that Klaus had snapped her neck once more and was now playing games with her.

"What?" Caroline croaked as she defiantly blinked tears from her eyes. "It was real. I- I felt all of it! It was real!"

"You didn't escape our mother, Caroline. She poisoned you with magic and left you to die. The dreams are her work as well. You must realise that Niklaus would never hurt you." Elijah urged as he held the gaze of the shaking girl, but she didn't seem convinced.

"But he did." Caroline spat out as she sent a hateful look towards Klaus, who almost flinched.

Hayley stood by his side, not knowing what to do with herself. For some reason she felt like reaching out to give the other hybrid just a little comfort, but Caroline would clearly take it the wrong way so she remained motionless.

"No." Elijah told her with a stern voice and the first sign of uncertainty flashed in the blonde's eyes. "It was a dream. One you must escape."

"I can't." Caroline spoke with a small hiss as her fingers curled into her hair and it looked as if she was going to pull it out. "It won't go away. I need it to go away."

"Why?" Elijah asked to everyone's surprise and the blonde frowned in confusion before looking back at Klaus.

"Because I hate him so much and I don't want to." Caroline admitted with a small voice and tears filled her eyes once more.

"Then concentrate." Elijah ordered and his eyes bore into Caroline's as she rocked back and forth on the floor. "Focus on the good you once saw in Niklaus. Remember it, Caroline."

The blonde's eyes darted around the room as she looked between the three spectators before closing her eyes with a rattling breath. She was hugging her knees to her body and she suddenly sat completely still with a deep frown on her forehead.

Silence stretched on for a long moment while they all stared at Caroline and Klaus didn't notice that he was holding his breath. He stepped forward once more when Caroline's eyes suddenly shot open, but he knew it hadn't worked when his movement made her flinch.

"I can't." Caroline cried as she leaned her forehead against her knees, hiding her face from the others.

"The magic is much too strong to break with will." Elijah stated slowly as he rose to his full height and sent his brother a sympathetic glance. Even Hayley looked as if the whole thing was actually getting to her. "It is possible that we can find a spell that will counteract this one, but we will need a witch as strong as Esther for it to work."

"Then we'll find one." Klaus replied determinedly without taking his eyes of the crying girl.

His fist clenched as the sight in front of him reminded him of the last time Caroline had looked at him like that. Or had refused to look at him. He had sworn to himself that he would never put that look on her face again and yet; here they were.

"Are there even witches stronger than Esther?" Hayley then questioned as she looked at Elijah and Klaus' eyes snapped to the mother of his child.

"Davina will do." Klaus retorted with an angry glare, but Hayley just met his gaze as she placed one hand on her hip.

"Good idea!" Hayley exclaimed mockingly and ignored Elijah's exasperated sigh from behind her. "Let's ask the witch who wants to kill you for help!"

"Caroline is innocent in all of this. She will help!" Klaus yelled back as he took a threatening step forwards, but Hayley remained in place.

"Except for the fact that she now hates you, there's nothing wrong with Caroline! If anything, Davina will consider this a win for her." Hayley tried to reason but it didn't dimmer the anger in Klaus' gaze.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Klaus sneered at her and Hayley opened her mouth to answer, when another voice interrupted them.

"Compel me."

The two hybrids and the vampire quickly turned their heads towards Caroline, who was slowly getting to her feet. Determination shone from her blue eyes, but she seemed unable to look at Klaus, who stared at her in shock.

"We will find a way, love." Klaus spoke before he could think, but the only thing Caroline did was close her eyes for a short moment. She exhaled slowly before willing herself to look at him and did her best to ignore the fear that immediately struck her.

"Yes, this way." Caroline told him as she stepped forward on shaking legs and Klaus resisted the urge to run to her. "I have to forget. It's the only way."

"Caroline…" Klaus tried hesitantly, but he was cut off by a shake of her head.

"Even if I wanted to keep hating you, I can't live like this. All this anger and fear is too much. So this is for my own sake. I need to forget about what I saw in that dream and I need to do it now." Caroline said with a shaking voice, but her eyes stayed glued to Klaus'.

"What do you wish me to tell you?" Klaus asked and a soft expression appeared on his face.

"No!" Caroline exclaimed in a low voice, making the other three supernatural creatures frown. "You can't compel me. Not now, not ever."

There was a finality in Caroline's words that made Klaus nod solemnly and he tried not to think about the possible meanings of the word 'ever'.

"Allow me then." Elijah spoke as he stood in front of the blonde once more and Caroline took a deep breath before looking at him.

There was a sudden panic in Caroline's gaze that made Elijah frown and he had a feeling this wouldn't be the first time the blonde was compelled. As far as Elijah knew his brother had never compelled the girl, which meant that it had been while she was human and Caroline had remembered whatever she was told to forget when she had become a vampire.

For some reason Elijah doubted it had been about more than just keeping the secret of vampires from an unknowing human. He noticed how Caroline's breathing had become slightly more shallow and it was with an uneasy feeling that he locked his eyes on her.

"Relax, Caroline." He compelled her calmly and the blonde's tensed body did exactly that as she sighed contentedly. Elijah's hands quickly wrapped around Caroline's arms when the adrenalin left her and exhaustion took over, making her sway on her feet.

"Now, what do you wish for me to tell you?"

"Just make me forget what I dreamt about. It was a bad dream and nothing more. Esther cast a spell on me and you found me and brought me here. I almost died but Kl-" Caroline instructed slowly and she took a deep breath when her voice broke. "but Klaus saved me with his blood. Esther had done something to me so I was afraid of you all and I made you compel me to forget the dream."

"You wish to remember that I compelled you?" Elijah asked with well-hidden confusion and Caroline nodded in response.

"I know the feeling of being compelled to forget." Caroline revealed, telling the room what Elijah had already guessed. Hayley was staring at the blonde with curiosity while a dark look appeared in Klaus' eyes. "It's like tying a bow around your finger and then completely forgetting why it's there. It drives you crazy."

"I understand." Elijah replied with a nod, feeling the need to speed things along before Klaus started tearing the room apart.

"No, you don't." Caroline said with a sad smile and then shot Klaus quick glance before turning her eyes back to Elijah's. "Do it."

"You remember what our mother told you and that she cast a spell on you. Niklaus and I found you and brought you back here. You almost died, but Niklaus managed to heal you with his blood." Elijah started compelling her and neither vampire as much as blinked. "Esther's spell made you fear him through a dream you had, but you do not remember it and will not be afraid anymore. You remember everything you told us and that you wished for me to compel you."

"Esther cast a spell on me that made me dream about Klaus, but I don't remember it. You and Klaus found me and brought me here. Klaus saved me from dying, but I was afraid of him and asked you to compel me." Caroline repeated as she slowly nodded and Elijah broke the compulsion by blinking.

A sudden dizziness clouded Caroline's eyes as she staggered forward and Elijah quickly caught her in his arms. Caroline looked up at him with a strained smile before turning her eyes to the other Original in the room.

"Klaus." Caroline breathed almost inaudibly and the hybrid was by her side in an instant. Tears filled Caroline's eyes once more as exhaustion and relief washed over her, and Klaus gently pulled her into his arms.

"It's okay, love." Klaus whispered into her hair as Caroline started sobbing and her fingers curled into his shirt. "You're safe."


	6. You never were

"Klaus? Are you there?" the female blonde called out as she entered the compound. She jumped a little when Hayley suddenly stood in front of her and took a calming breath. "Do you know where Klaus is?"

"Yes, but now is really not the best time to come visiting." Hayley told her with what looked like an almost sympathetic look in her doe eyes.

"And why is that?" Camille asked as she crossed her arms. With the week she was having she was in no mood for games. "I know Finn and Kol are here. I won't go near them if that's what you're worried about."

"It's not." Hayley said with a small sigh that made the psych major frown before the hybrid raised her hands in a brushing off manner. "You know what? Klaus is probably gonna kill me for letting you in, but it's really not my problem. He's upstairs and I'm guessing very close to the bedroom."

Hayley had walked off before Camille could ask what was so important about Klaus' bedroom so instead she moved up the stairs to find the Original hybrid. The door to his chambers was open so she entered without knocking.

Klaus was nowhere in sight so Camille moved slowly through the small common room and closer to his bedroom. Also this door was open, but only the slightest so Camille carefully pushed it open. It took the bartender several seconds to notice the passed-out blonde on the bed and a frown settled deeply on her forehead as took in the girl's form.

The blonde was hidden under the sheets, but she looked surprisingly dressed underneath them. The girl was lying on her back with her face turned towards Camille and she ignored the feeling of her stomach dropping as she took in the blonde's beauty.

She didn't notice Klaus standing behind her so she let out a small yelp that was quickly muffled by a large hand, when someone suddenly pulled her backwards. Camille stopped fighting his grasp, when his distinct and aromatic scent washed over her and she relaxed into him, making her stumble slightly when he suddenly let go.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, love?" Klaus asked as he quickly, but softly closed the door to his bedroom and the sleeping girl. He then placed a hand on Camille's arm and gently moved her from the door to the middle of the common room.

"Who is she?" Camille inquired instead of answering and she noticed the corner of Klaus' mouth twitch slightly.

"She is none of your concern." the hybrid told her with a stern voice that made the blonde frown. After everything that had happened recently, she thought they were passed the patronizing behaviour, but apparently not.

"Are you serious? You're at war with your own family and at the same time you're screwing around with some blonde bimbo! Didn't you learn anything from your 'fling' with Genevieve?" Camille exclaimed angrily as she gestured towards the closed door.

"Be careful how you speak, sweetheart." Klaus sneered back at her, making her quickly step away as she stared at him with wide eyes. "Caroline is a friend of mine, who has nothing to do with all of this."

There was a long silence between them as they stared at each other and Camille tried to figure out what had made Klaus react to her words in such a way. It was then the familiarity of the name 'Caroline' hit her.

"Caroline…" Camille spoke slowly as if she was tasting the word. "I've heard that name before."

"It's quite common." Klaus responded with a tight smile as he moved to a small table where a bottle of bourbon stood and poured himself a drink. He held back an irritated sigh as Camille walked after him.

"No, I remember now. Back when we were doing our 'sessions' you talked about this girl, whose name was Caroline, but you had left behind when you came here. I wrote at least two pages about her, but you made me delete it all. It's her, isn't it? That's Caroline Forbes." Camille told as her eyes shifted between the door and the hybrid. Hearing him talk about the girl had been the first sign that maybe there was some humanity left inside of Klaus. But he had moved on from her, or so Camille thought.

"Even if it is, that will be the last time you ever mention that name in this city. Do you understand?" Klaus asked heatedly and Camille stepped back once more as she nodded in confirmation.

"So what's she doing here?" Camille asked warily as Klaus took a long drink from the auburn coloured liquor in his glass. There was a sinister smile on his lips when he finally answered.

"It was my mother's revenge on me for killing my father." was all Klaus said and Camille looked at him with shock.

"You killed Mikael?!"

"No, I killed my real father, Ansel." Klaus shrugged back at her, but Camille easily noticed the sorrowful look in his eyes.

"Why?" Camille asked when she finally got over the speechlessness.

"None of your concern." Klaus repeated and Camille sighed tiredly. Maybe now wasn't the right time to take this fight. Especially when there was a young blonde Camille wanted to ask more questions about.

"Fine. So why did your mother take your friend?"

"To hurt me." Klaus replied dryly and downed the rest of the bourbon in his glass.

"But why her specifically? I thought she lived thousands of miles away from here." Camille wondered out loud and looked at Klaus expectantly. She wouldn't admit it to herself, but she was quietly hoping that Klaus would deny any romantic relations between him and the girl.

"Because I killed the man that my mother loved." Klaus said as he stared back at her, waiting for the coin to drop.

He would never admit his true feelings directly, especially since he was still having trouble admitting them to himself, but perhaps it was time for Camille to realise that they would never be more than friends.

"You love her." Camille stated calmly, but her insides were a mess. She had spent so much time trying to understand him, get close to him, but right now she felt further away than ever.

Klaus just continued to stare at her until he finally turned his back on her and refilled the empty tumbler in his hand. There was a pregnant silence in the room and subconsciously, Klaus widened his senses until Caroline's calm breathing filled his ears.

"So you and I-" Camille said as she broke the silence, but quickly interrupted herself when she realised that she had spoken her thoughts.

"You and I?" Klaus questioned with a raised brow as he turned around to look at the blonde bartender, who was now blushing ferociously.

"I didn't mean- It's just-" Camille tried to explain, but she knew that there was no way around this one. "Just forget I said anything."

"We are friends, remember?" Klaus reminded her and he did his best to hide his irritation.

He knew things hadn't exactly been clear between them over the last week or so, but he had thought Camille was clever enough to realise that Klaus had no romantic intentions towards her.

"I know." Camille replied with a lifted chin even though she felt like running far away from the hybrid.

"But do you understand?" Klaus inquired as he moved forward and he was surprised by the smile that suddenly grazed Camille's lips.

"Actually, things are becoming very clear." Camille said with a shake of her head and she almost felt relieved by the sudden clarity. This explained so much about the mystery that was Klaus Mikaelson.

"How so?"

"It all has to do with her, doesn't it?" Camille questioned with a gesture towards the door. "The emotional unavailability, the fact that you are barely like the mother of your child and me."

"You?" Klaus said with a smirk on his lips. For some reason he found this oddly entertaining.

"Out of all the humans in this town, who are probably just blood bags to you, you chose to spend hours with me. You made me forget afterwards, so in truth you could have chosen anybody." Camille explained with a light smile on her lips.

"And yes, you were trying to get to Marcel, but I know you began caring for me! Otherwise you would have never helped me with my uncle or compelled me to forget about my brother's death in some misguided effort to protect me.

"I never really understood why it had to be me, why I had to get dragged into this mess, but it was all because of her. Because of her blonde hair and blue eyes. I'll admit that from what I saw she's beautiful. And I think that maybe I should be a little flattered by that." Camille finished with a small shrug and locked her eyes with Klaus'.

"Are you suggesting that my interest in you springs from your physical similarities to Caroline?" Klaus asked with a quirked brow and Camille crossed her arms in front of her, taking a stance that, truth be told, reminded him of Caroline.

"I'm not suggesting. I'm saying that's how it is." Camille stated confidently and Klaus let out a small laugh.

"Perhaps you did remind me of her at first, but that is not why I 'chose' you as you eloquently put it. You were interesting because Marcel fancied you. And because you listen. A feat Caroline hasn't quite mastered yet." Klaus told with a smile and Camille caught the adoring look he sent Caroline's way.

"So the only thing I have over her is that I am good at listening? Which is practically what I've spent years on learning how to do?" Camille asked with a small sigh and Klaus frowned at her words.

"I wasn't aware this was a competition."

"It's not." Camille replied with a quick glance towards the closed bedroom door. "Either way I would probably be playing a losing game."

Another silence stretched between them, but it seemed less awkward than before and Camille returned Klaus' smile.

"You never told me why you came here." Klaus finally spoke and Camille realised that she had almost forgotten herself.

"I was just curious about the family reunion you had with Finn and Kol." Camille shrugged and Klaus smile fell quickly.

"Ah yes, about that. I need you stay out of this, Camille. This is a family matter that you cannot get caught up with. I almost lost Caroline last night because of this and she was, as you said, thousands of miles away. So be careful, love." Klaus said as he moved close and placed a hand upon Camille's shoulder.

She couldn't help but stare at him and for a moment it felt as if his eyes would swallow her whole. Camille nodded in understanding after a couple of seconds and then sighed when Klaus' hand left her shoulder. The warm feeling of it disappeared too quickly.

"Now, I have a mother to find and kill, and I believe you have a shift at the bar in twenty minutes, so I think it's time to leave Caroline to her sleep." Klaus continued with an easy smile and Camille didn't even bother to ask how he knew her work schedule. The hybrid quickly put away his glass without – to Camille's surprise – emptying it and moved towards the room's exit.

"Are you coming, sweetheart?" Klaus asked as he reached the door and he turned around to look at Camille. She stared at him for a short moment before she followed with resolute steps.

Camille swore to herself that this would be the last time she ever stepped a foot inside Klaus' chambers. Whatever she had begun to feel for the hybrid, she would move on from. She had always been attracted to the bad boys, but perhaps it was time to break that nasty habit. After all, Klaus never were nor ever would be hers.


	7. Everybody talks

When Caroline finally woke from her sleep, she had momentarily forgotten where she was and the only thing to remind her was the scent that enveloped her. She knew it too well and Caroline suddenly felt very awake as she sprung out of the large bed.

Her body was still aching slightly from the exhaustion of almost dying and she felt a little dizzy as well. It was then that she smelled the blood and a smile spread on her lips when she noticed the blood bag that lay on the table beside the bed.

Caroline emptied it slowly as she walked around the large room, studying paintings and other artefacts, and ended up in front of a large mirror. It was only then that she noticed that she was wearing one of Klaus' shirts over her white dress and she felt herself blush.

Memories from the night before flooded her mind and she remembered with dread the things she had said about Klaus and Hayley. Almost as embarrassing was her breakdown in Klaus' arms. She had had mind blowing sex with the guy and yet that felt like one of the most intimate things they had ever done.

Caroline paused as she listened for any signs of him being near, but except for some noise in the kitchen; the house was silent. She needed to find Klaus and get home. Or at least find a phone so she could call her friends. Did they even know she had been taken?

Of course, Caroline thought with a small shake of her head. They were probably the ones who alerted Klaus. She thought back on her talk with Esther with a small shiver. Caroline had been offered the opportunity to have children – something she still hadn't acknowledged she never could – but that wasn't her life anymore.

Caroline placed the now empty blood bag on the table she had found it and then moved to the door. She opened it carefully and peeked outside, but no one was there. This room was larger than the bedroom with a sofa, some chairs, a lot of books and a blank canvas on a pedestal. This was definitely Klaus' part of the house.

The blonde all but tip-toed over the wooden floor, but paused when she noticed the half-filled glass of bourbon. With a small shrug she grabbed it and downed the content. It burned down her throat but – oddly enough – it made her head more clear. Now she needed some coffee.

The 'house' was big, even bigger than the Mystic Falls mansion, and Caroline got lost a couple of times before she finally found the kitchen. The floor was cold under Caroline's bare feet, but she barely noticed it as she strode through the empty kitchen. Hadn't she heard noises from here just before?

Caroline almost did a small dance when she noticed the brewed coffee and smiled, when she discovered it was still hot. It took her a minute to go through all the cupboards to find a mug and then she had to look for the milk as well. The refrigerator was almost empty, Caroline noticed with a frown and the milk was nowhere in sight.

"We don't keep the blood bags there." a voice suddenly sounded beside her and Caroline jumped in shock.

A small smirk played on Hayley's lips as she had managed to startle the vampire, but she didn't say anymore as she kept staring at Caroline.

"Oh, I wasn't… I was just looking for some milk." Caroline explained with a gesture towards her coffee and Hayley's smile grew a little as she poured herself some coffee as well.

"Yeah, we haven't really had time to go shopping lately. We've been a little busy with dead family members coming back." Hayley told her with a snarky voice that Caroline would have rolled her eyes of if she didn't feel so guilty. And lost.

"Esther told me that Finn and Kol were back as well." Caroline commented when she couldn't think of anything else to say and Hayley sent her a surprised look.

"That woman talks a lot." Hayley growled in response and Caroline was suddenly reminded of Hayley's new hybrid status. "Did she tell you about her husband as well?"

"Mikael is back?!" Caroline exclaimed with wide eyes and Hayley's full lips formed an annoyed smile as she nodded. "I thought we had it bad."

"I heard about your friends." Hayley told her with a surprisingly sympathetic voice and Caroline sent her a small smile. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, as it turns out they weren't sent into oblivion or whatever when the Other Side disappeared. Somehow Damon came back and now we think Bonnie is alive too. She's trapped with a psychotic warlock, who tried to butcher his whole family, but she's alive." Caroline explained with a small sigh and felt a small bubble of happiness grow inside of her. Her best friend was still alive.

"Good for you." Hayley said as she then spun around and moved to leave the kitchen.

"Hayley?" Caroline called before she disappeared and the brunette turned back around with a small sigh.

"I'm sorry." the blonde continued with an apologetic smile that made Hayley frown.

"About?"

"A lot of things, I guess. But most importantly the loss of your child. I can't even imagine… Despite everything that's happened between us, I would never wish that on anybody." Caroline told with a sorrowful voice. Hayley seemed unable to look at the blonde as she visibly gulped and placed her coffee on the kitchen table.

"Who told you?" Hayley asked with a detached voice as her eyes looked at everything but Caroline.

"Esther. I don't think she knew that I didn't know." Caroline replied with a small shake of her head. "I can't believe Klaus never told me."

"Klaus? Why would he tell you?" Hayley asked confusedly and broke her resolve not to look at the blonde. It was the honest sympathy that shone from her blue eyes that Hayley couldn't handle.

"After Bonnie died and Stefan suddenly disappeared as well, I felt lonely. So, I called Klaus." Caroline admitted with a blush on her cheeks. Now she was the one having trouble with looking at Hayley. "We've talked quite a bit over the last few months. Or I guess I've talked. I should have asked more about it, but the thought of Klaus being a father just sort of freaked me out."

"Hope's death is not easy to talk about. I've barely talked to him about it. You could have asked as much as you wanted to and Klaus would probably have lied." Hayley told the blonde, not sure why she was suddenly reassuring her. She had never cared about Caroline before, so why now?

"Hope?" Caroline asked with a smile that made Hayley smile as well. "That's a beautiful name."

"Thanks." was all Hayley said and awkward silence fell between the two girls. It was weird acting as if she was mourning when she had daughter was alive and, hopefully, well.

"You know, I'm sorry about that other thing too." Caroline said when the silence had grated on her nerves for long enough.

"What thing?" Hayley asked innocently, even though she had an idea about what Caroline meant.

"The thing where I called you a backstabbing slut." Caroline replied with her head ducked and she took a long sip from coffee to not meet Hayley's gaze.

"So you don't think I'm a backstabbing slut?" Hayley asked with a small tilt of her head and placed a hand on her hip.

"Well…" Caroline started a thoughtful look in her eyes and Hayley's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "Okay, so I don't think you're a slut. That was just the dream talking. Even though I have no idea what I dreamed. But the backstabbing part…"

"Yeah, I get it." Hayley said with a brushing off gesture that almost made Caroline smile. "Karma got me good for that one, though. Look at the mess I'm in now."

"I guess some of it is fair." Caroline shrugged back at the hybrid, who was smiling as well. "But I do sort of still hate you."

"Ditto." Hayley replied as she raised her mug in a toast. There was a short moment of silence before their laughter filled the room and neither one of them were sure what they were laughing about.

"Where is Klaus, by the way?" Caroline asked when their laughter died down and a comfortable silence fell between them.

"Right here, love." an accented voice spoke and Caroline turned around to see Klaus enter the kitchen with Elijah on his heels. Caroline frowned at the blood-covered hands, but didn't say a word. Klaus just smirked at her, clearly knowing what she was frowning at.

"Good morning." Elijah spoke as he finished washing his hands and proceeded to wipe them in a towel.

His eyes studied Caroline intently and she sent him a small smile in return. Elijah then stepped aside to give his brother access to the sink and Caroline noticed how Hayley tensed slightly when the Original placed himself right beside her.

Hayley noticed how Caroline's eyes slowly widened as she seemed to figure out what was going between the two. The blonde's eyes met hers and Hayley could see the ghost of a smile of Caroline's lips that made her glare back. Their small stare-off was broken by Klaus, who suddenly placed himself in between them.

"You look better." he stated as his eyes glided over Caroline's face and as always she felt strangely naked. Like he could see right through her.

"The coffee is helping." Caroline told him with a smile that made his widen. "Although, you don't have any milk."

"I'll be sure to write that on our shopping list." Klaus joked and then continued to stare at the blonde, which made a blush creep to her cheeks. Despite the circumstances, it still felt surreal that she was actually here. Klaus knew he had to let her go again, but she was finally in New Orleans. With him.

A clearing of a throat brought them out of their reverie and Klaus turned his head to look at his brother and Hayley. They looked as uncomfortable as ever and Klaus could help the smirk that formed on his lips.

"Miss Forbes," Elijah then spoke as he looked at Caroline, "is everything as it should be?"

"I don't remember a thing about the dream." Caroline confirmed him with a nod, figuring that what was he was referring to.

"Good. Call me if ever begins bothering you again." Elijah told her, making Caroline blink in surprise. She had barely ever spoken to the Original and now he was inviting her to call him.

"Uhm, sure." Caroline said and took a long sip of her coffee when she couldn't think of anymore to say.

"How are your friends in Mystic Falls?" Elijah then asked, making Caroline almost choke on her coffee in surprise.

Klaus clapped her back gently as she tried not to drown in coffee and she acutely aware that his hand stayed on her lower back even after she finished coughing.

"We can't actually get into Mystic Falls without dying a horrible death, so not well, I guess?" Caroline replied and waited for the others' reactions. They didn't really seem surprised and Caroline didn't know why she expected them to.

"The traveller's spell." Elijah said with an understanding nod and Caroline felt herself nod as well. "Your friend, Bonnie Bennett, she was the Anchor, correct?"

"Yes. Her and Damon were on the Other Side when it all… blinked out existence. But Damon recently returned. And we think Bonnie is alive as well." Caroline revealed to them and was a little proud of the shocked expressions on the Originals' faces.

"I didn't think that possible." Elijah said and Caroline sent him a sad smile, remembering what Elena had told her about the Original's relationship to Katherine. According to Bonnie the doppelgänger was gone forever.

"It shouldn't be, but you know, witches." Caroline shrugged and felt the happiness bubble inside of her again. "I'm sorry by the way. About Katherine. It was sort of sad that she died. And then got sucked into oblivion."

"Pardon me?" Elijah said with a confused frown and Caroline heard Klaus sigh beside her.

"Well, we thought she died that first time where Klaus and Rebekah visited, but she actually jumped into Elena's body and made us all believe she was Elena. Then her daughter got bit by Tyler and died, so she let Stefan kill her as well. She had to go through Bonnie to get to the Other Side, but she was sucked away. We didn't know what it was then." Caroline explained quickly and the expression on Elijah's face made her think she had talked to fast.

"Katerina died?" he asked in a tone Caroline couldn't decipher.

"Twice actually."

"You knew?" Elijah then sneered at his brother as he took a step forward and Caroline felt herself being pulled closer to Klaus.

"You didn't?" Caroline gaped at the Original and then turned to stare at Klaus, who kept his eyes on his brother.

"Let's take this conversation some other time, shall we?" Klaus asked with an easy smile as he took Caroline's coffee cup from her hand and placed it on the kitchen table. "I think Caroline is looking a little faint and needs to lie down."

Before anyone could protest, Klaus had grabbed Caroline tightly and flashed them out of there.


	8. Out of the woods

"You never told Elijah that the love of his life was dead?" Caroline exclaimed when Klaus finally released her inside his chambers. The hybrid only took a small step back, leaving less than half a meter between them.

"Let's not exaggerate, love. Katerina was hardly the love of anyone's life." Klaus replied with a roll of his eyes and was met by a scowl from Caroline. Since when had the blonde begun to care about the doppelgänger's life, or dead? "Besides, I never really saw Katerina's death body since I was otherwise engaged."

Caroline let out an irritated huff as Klaus smirked down her and a blush crept to her cheeks.

"Did he even know you went to Mystic Falls?"

"Yes, but he was too busy with Hayley to bother with asking why. See, Katerina's death clearly won't be that devastating to him." Klaus explained as he stared down at her and Caroline had to break their eye contact before she lost the ability to speak.

"So no one here knows about…" Caroline started, but couldn't get herself to finish the sentence while Klaus' eyes bore into hers.

"About?" Klaus asked in a teasing tone and Caroline pursed her lips in feigned annoyance. "No, Caroline. You're not something I want to share."

"Oh." was all Caroline was able to say, but Klaus didn't mind. As long as she was pushing him away like she used to he was happy with anything coming from Caroline's mouth.

"Do your friends know?" Klaus then asked with a raised brow when he noticed Caroline's hesitancy and there was almost an apologetic look in her eyes, when she locked them on his.

"I kind of told Elena, who was really Katherine. And she made sure Tyler heard us and-" Caroline began explaining as she gestured with her hands, but was interrupted when Klaus grabbed her chin. There was both concern and anger in his eyes and Caroline frowned at the intense look.

"Did he hurt you?" Klaus asked with a small growl and Caroline quickly shook her head, making his hand drop once more.

"He got angry and Stefan punched him. Nothing more. But then Stefan knew and I guess he told Damon, who told Elena and so on." Caroline rambled and a smile returned to Klaus' lips.

"Perhaps I should send the Ripper a thank you note." Klaus said happily, making Caroline roll her eyes.

"Don't bother. He will just toss it away like he did our friendship." Caroline scoffed as she crossed her arms in front of her like petulant child.

"Still angry with him, I see?" Klaus chuckled amusedly and Caroline sent him a glare in return.

She had already told him about most of her spat with Stefan over the phone. Well, except for the small crush she had developed on her best friend. Or about the time he had made her cry. She hated Stefan, but didn't want him dead. And one murderous Brit taking revenge on her behalf was already one too many. Besides, she was so over him now.

But Klaus had mostly just found it humorous since there now was someone else for Caroline to be mad with. And they both knew that Caroline would never have called him in the first place if Stefan hadn't left. In truth, they had Stefan to thank for how close they had become over the last few months.

Their correspondence had been limited to only phone calls and texts, but Klaus had helped Caroline through the worst feelings of loneliness and hopefully she had helped him through some of his sorrow, even though she didn't know it then.

"Yes, I'm still angry! Actually, he can go back to Savannah for all I care." Caroline exclaimed with a small hiss, making Klaus laugh once more. "This is not funny."

"I'm sorry, love." the hybrid said but the smile didn't leave his lips.

"So…" Caroline said as she clapped her hands together and moved over to the sofa. She pulled her feet up under her and rested her head against the backrest as she looked at Klaus. "Are you going to tell me why your crazy mother decided to bring me here?"

"I killed someone she loves." Klaus explained with an easy tone as he took place beside her on the sofa. Caroline let out a small sigh as she tilted her head to the side and turned her body towards him.

"Who?"

"My father." Klaus answered after a long pause and didn't meet Caroline's gaze. His voice was a strange mix of sorrow, shame and unapologetic that made the blonde frown.

"Hayley did tell me that Mikael was back. You know I don't condone of killing people, but that man…" Caroline said with a small shiver and was slightly taken aback by the adoring look Klaus sent her.

"Mikael was never my father, love." Klaus just told her and then stared at the blonde until her eyes finally widened in realisation.

"Oh my God." Caroline whispered slowly as she – to Klaus' surprise – scooted closer to the hybrid. "Why?"

"Are you not curious to how I met him?" Klaus asked with a raised brow, hoping to distract Caroline from figuring out the real reason behind the murder. Not even Caroline could know that Hope was alive. Not now, anyway.

"My guess is that Esther brought him back from dead for the same reason she offered me the chance to be human; to get to you." Caroline said with a small shrug and continued when Klaus didn't speak. "He would remind you of the human life you could have had. The life your mother wants you to have. I guess I was plan B and when I declined, she decided to turn me against you instead. Your mother would the worst mother-in-law ever."

"Mother-in-law?" Klaus inquired with an amused chuckle and Caroline's mouth opened and closed as she tried to think of something to say.

"I didn't mean it like _that_. It's just something you say. Like that one time I told Damon that calling him Satan was an insult to Satan." Caroline explained with a brushing-off gesture and Klaus looked equally surprised and proud of her last remark.

"Why did you turn down my mother's offer, Caroline?" Klaus then asked in a serious voice and Caroline let out a small sigh before answering.

"You already know. I prefer who I am now to the girl I once was." Caroline told him with a small shrug and a smile played on Klaus' lips as he heard his own words repeated to him. "When I was human I was shallow, rude and insecure. I can't go back to that. Besides, if I became human I wouldn't be able to come knocking on your door in a century or so."

Caroline spoke her last words with a teasing smile that Klaus returned as he slowly reached for her hand. He kept his eyes on hers as he lifted it to his lips and placed a kiss on her fingertips. Klaus didn't let go of her hand as he let it fall back down and Caroline didn't pull away.

"Klaus?" she asked softly, breaking the silence that had fallen between them as he played with her fingers. Klaus hummed in response to tell her he was listening, but kept his eyes on her hand. "Why didn't you tell me about Hope?"

The hybrid became completely still as another silence fell over them, but Caroline kept staring at him until he finally spoke.

"Because that was not your cross to bear, love." Klaus told her in a low voice as he met her gaze. There was no point in asking where Caroline had gotten the news from. It could have been Esther as much as Hayley. He wouldn't even be surprised if she had figured it out herself.

"But what if I wanted to help you bear yours?" Caroline asked insistently and Klaus was surprised by the emotion her voice held. She sounded hurt, angry and mournful all at the same time.

"Why would you want that, Caroline?" Klaus said with a sigh, knowing that he wasn't likely to get the answer he wanted.

"Because you're my friend." Caroline replied hesitantly and a detached look appeared in the hybrid's eyes.

"Is that so?" he asked dryly as he let go of her hand and turned away his gaze.

Caroline stared at him for a long moment, hoping that he would look at her again, but she waited in vain. Before she could change her mind Caroline moved closer and Klaus looked up in surprise, when he suddenly found Caroline straddling over him.

She didn't give him a chance to speak as she placed her lips upon his in a soft but claiming kiss. Klaus' fingers curled into her hair as he kissed her back and Caroline's hands linked together behind his neck to pull him deeper into the kiss. Several seconds went by before Caroline pulled away, resting her forehead against his.

"No." she told him with a dazed look in her eyes and it took Klaus a long moment to realise that she was answering his question. But what confused him most were the next words that left her mouth. "Look, if you won't talk to me about it then at least talk to Hayley."

"Hayley?" Klaus repeated in surprise as he leaned back, unsure if he had heard her right.

The girls' meeting in the kitchen had seemed strangely civilized, but he knew that there was no love lost between the two of them. But now Caroline wanted him to speak with Hayley. About his _feelings_. He wondered for a moment if his mother's spell had any strange side effects, but quickly shook it out of his head.

"Yes, speak to the mother of your child. Maybe I don't fully understand what you've been going through, but she does. So please talk to her." Caroline pleaded in a soft voice as her hand slowly caressed his stubbled cheek.

"Should I do this now?" Klaus asked with feigned seriousness and then smiled up at Caroline, who stole his lips in another kiss. This one was much shorter and Klaus emitted a small groan when Caroline's teeth caught his bottom lip as she pulled away once more.

"If you want to." Caroline shrugged at him and moved as if she was about to stand up, making Klaus flip them over so she was trapped underneath him on the sofa.

Whatever protests Caroline was about to make was silenced by Klaus' lips on hers and it didn't take long before their tongues met heatedly. She could feel his hands creep under her dress and Caroline moaned against his mouth, when Klaus' fingers dug into her bare thighs.

It took a lot of strength for Caroline to push the hybrid away and she almost felt bad for the hurt look in his eyes as he stared down at her.

"Not here." Caroline breathed before reaching up to place a chaste kiss on his lips. "Bedroom, now."

Caroline barely caught a glimpse of the smirk that spread on Klaus' lips as he quickly picked her up and flashed them inside his bedroom, closing the door behind them. They stood in the middle of the room, staring at each other for a long moment before the simultaneously reached out and started to tear off each other's clothes.

They stood naked as their hands searched each other's bodies; rediscovering every muscle, bone and patch of skin, but Caroline started pulling away after a few moments. She kept her eyes locked with Klaus' as she slowly backed towards the bed and climbed onto it when her calves hit it.

Her gaze travelled down the hard planes of Klaus' body as Caroline moved towards the headboard and landed on his length that was already hard with want. The sight brought back the memory of how amazing it felt to have him inside of her and Caroline felt herself grow wet just at the thought of it.

She let out a small gasp when she met Klaus' eyes once more and saw the auburn colour that shone from them, making her realise that he could probably smell her arousal. Caroline stared back in wonder, knowing that she should be scared instead of turned on.

As if he had read her thoughts, Klaus was suddenly on top of her and Caroline was pressed into the sheets as he kissed her hungrily. She could feel him against her entrance and a strong aching slowly formed in the pit of her stomach. Caroline wrapped her legs around Klaus' hips, urging him to push inside of her but instead he pulled away.

She could feel him smirk against the skin of her neck as she let out a small whimper. The sound soon turned into a moan as Klaus took one of her nipples into his mouth, while his fingers played with the other. Caroline's hands went down to curl into his hair, but he was already moving on as he planted wet kisses down her stomach.

Klaus looked up at her with an almost mischievous look in his eyes as he settled between her legs and Caroline subconsciously held her breath as she waited for the feeling of his tongue on her sex. Caroline inhaled sharply when Klaus went down on her with a long stroke and only a few moments later she felt as if she was about come undone.

Caroline tried to buck her hips against his mouth in her search for release, but she was no match for Klaus' strength as he held her to the bed. The blonde cried out when he suddenly thrust a finger inside of her and then quickly added another.

"Klaus, please." Caroline breathed as he slowly brought her to the brink of an orgasm and she could almost feel him smile against her. Caroline felt like screaming when Klaus suddenly sucked on her small bundle of nerves and the heated coil inside her lower stomach exploded.

Caroline barely had time to catch her breath before Klaus' mouth was on hers once more and her nails dug into his back as she tasted herself on his tongue.

It was strange how it all seemed so different from the first time they had been together in the woods. Everything had been so rushed despite the fact that they had been at it more than once and it had all been laced with both excitement and uncertainty.

But now that had gone away and Caroline became aware of a new feeling inside of her: longing. She needed him in a way she hadn't before and Caroline suddenly came to the conclusion that he had definitely ruined her for all other men. No one could ever make her feel as whole as he did.

"God, I've missed you." Caroline muttered between kisses and she didn't realise she had spoken out loud before Klaus suddenly pulled away and looked down at her with wonder.

"Good." Klaus then told her with a smirk that had Caroline roll her eyes before flipping them over so she was straddling his hips.

Her eyes never left his as Caroline lifted herself up and then sunk down on his length in one sliding movement. Klaus let out a groan as every inch of him disappeared inside of Caroline and the baby vampire closed her eyes as she adjusted to the size of him. When she opened her eyes once more, Klaus was staring up at her with so much adoration that it almost made her heart ache.

Slowly Caroline lifted herself up, only to bury him inside of her once more and Klaus' fingers created bruises on her skin as the dug into her hips. She set a slow but steady pace as she moved on top of him and Caroline leaned down to place a kiss on Klaus' lips to which he responded with more emotion than she had ever experienced from him.

It overwhelmed her so much that she had to pull away, but Klaus just followed her until he was sitting up, making Caroline gasp at the new angle. Klaus hit a spot inside of her she didn't thought existed as he thrust inside of her at the same time as Caroline rolled her hips against him. She was already close to another orgasm and Caroline bit into Klaus' shoulder with her human teeth to stop herself from crying out.

Knowing that Caroline was close, Klaus switched their positions and started pounding into her in a fast pace that left them both breathless. Soon Caroline's muscles clenched down on him, but Klaus didn't stop moving inside her as he let her ride out her second high and threw her leg over his shoulder.

With Caroline's third release followed also Klaus' and the hybrid collapsed on top of her, holding himself up by his arms without leaving the warmth of her.

"I've missed you too, love." Klaus whispered huskily into her ear and they both smiled into the kiss he placed on her mouth.

* * *

><p><strong>Never written smut before. Hope it wasn't too awful... Tell me what you think!<strong>


	9. Giving thanks

"In a hundred words or less, what are you thankful for?" Caroline asked as she lifted herself from where she was half-lying across Klaus' naked chest and looked down on him. Klaus looked at her funnily for a long moment; certain it was a joke, but of course the blonde was serious.

"There is not much for me to be thankful about these days, love." Klaus told her with a bitter smile and a frown settled on Caroline's forehead.

"There must be something." Caroline urged and a thoughtful look appeared in her eyes. "How about your brothers coming back?"

A humourless laugh escaped Klaus as he looked up at the blonde and Caroline let out an irritated sigh.

"Seriously?" she questioned as she rolled completely him and probed herself up on arm. Klaus' wandering gaze made her realise that the sheets had fallen down to pool around her waist and she quickly pulled them up to cover her breasts, which in return made Klaus frown.

"Caroline." Klaus said with a small sigh as he rolled to his side and lifted himself up as well. "What is happening in this city is dark and despicable, and not something to be thankful for. I am at war with my own family; one who use every single one of my weaknesses against me. If I find something to be thankful for, it will be taken from me."

"I get it, okay?" Caroline told him with a sad smile as she reached out and traced her fingertips across his cheek. "But there must be something. Some tiny glimmer of hope that keeps you fighting."

_I am thankful that my daughter is alive. My Hope._

But he couldn't tell her that. Caroline couldn't get involved in all of this mess. If it wasn't safe for Hope, then it wasn't safe for Caroline either.

"I am not entirely adverse to the return of my brother." Klaus finally admitted, knowing that the blonde wouldn't stop asking until he gave an answer.

"Who? Kol and Finn?" Caroline asked with a triumphant smile and Klaus looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Right, Kol. Not the brother who tried have you all killed. Just the brother that _my_ friends killed."

Caroline fell back on the bed with a sigh and was suddenly unable to look Klaus in the eyes. Despite everything that had happened before and after that faithful night, she had always felt about the death of Klaus' younger brother. And she couldn't help but think about all the vampires who had died along with him.

"Ah yes, perhaps you should warn them about his return. He is a warlock now, but quite the powerful one." Klaus mused and Caroline would have smacked him if she didn't feel so guilty.

"So Kol… and?" Caroline inquired with a curious gaze as rolled over to lie on her stomach with arms lifting up her head.

"One thing should be more than enough, love." Klaus replied with a stern glare that told her to let it go, but Caroline didn't care about his paranoia.

"What about your father? I know you killed him and all, but don't you feel the tiniest bit thankful for actually having the chance to meet him?" Caroline tried uncertainly and Klaus didn't know if he should be irritated or flattered by her persistence. He was, though, slightly amused by her casual tone as she talked about the murder he had committed.

"If I agree, will you stop pestering me about this?" Klaus asked with a sigh and Caroline nodded with a bright smile on her lips, ignoring his annoyance and unwillingness to talk.

"How was he?" Caroline asked with a curiosity that surprised him and Klaus smiled at her briefly before turning his gaze to the ceiling.

"He was everything that I wished for him to be." Klaus admitted with a low voice, surprising himself with his own honesty. He had planned to keep the memory of his father to himself, but denying Caroline was no longer one of his abilities.

There was a long moment of silence before Klaus finally turned his eyes to Caroline, who wore a serious expression on her face. Her lips had formed a small pout as she stared down at him and Klaus forced himself not to reach up and capture with his own.

"Why did you do it?" Caroline asked in what was almost a whisper and Klaus could hear how hard she tried not to sound judging or disappointed.

"I can't tell you, Caroline." he told her quietly, begging her not to question him further with his eyes. Caroline let out a small sigh before she lazily rolled over to rest her head on his chest.

"It was about Hope, wasn't it?" she murmured into the air and Klaus' mouth dropped open in what he could only describe as shock. Of course, she had figured it out. Caroline was too clever and knew him too well for her own good.

"I was so sad to hear about her, but you and Hayley… aren't. Not how you are supposed to be. Even after all these months, you should be devastated instead of all of this anger both of you have. Rebekah isn't here. You killed your father because he knew and you needed to protect her. Both of them." Caroline continued in a low voice and then lifted her head to stare at him.

"Caroline." was the only word that left his mouth, unsure of what was going to happen now. By knowing the truth, Caroline brought everyone in danger. But most of all the two persons he held most dear: Hope and herself.

"I will die before I tell anyone." Caroline told him with a strong voice and her blue eyes shone with determination. Gently, he reached up and stroked his hand over her cheek, brushing back a curl from her face.

"That's what I'm afraid of, love." Klaus replied with a heavy sigh and his eyes were locked with Caroline's as she lifted herself up and placed her lips against his.

The kiss was slow, but left them both breathless and Caroline's head swam with all the promises it held. When Klaus gently pushed her away, she let him and Caroline fell onto her back as the hybrid started trailing kisses down her neck. His touch felt so careful and loving that Caroline sighed contentedly and she felt him smile against her skin.

A small shiver went through Caroline's body as Klaus slowly pulled down the sheet that was still covering her and exposed her naked form to him. His full lips then continued to plant kisses down the valley of her breasts and finally rested just below the left one, where her undead heart was beating underneath.

"You know, before tonight I've never been stabbed through the heart." Caroline told casually after Klaus had placed another tantalizing kiss on her lips and pulled her onto his chest once more. "I was shot in the head once, but your lunatic of a mother had to take it one step further."

"You were shot in the head?" Klaus questioned with an underlining anger in his voice that almost made Caroline roll her eyes.

Klaus knew that Caroline hadn't been a vampire for a long time before he met her and the casual way she talked about things like that had him worried more than he cared to admit. How much pain had she already gone through before he came and brought her even more?

"And tortured. It was two of Tyler's werewolf 'friends', who kidnapped me. Stefan killed the guy who did most of it. You killed the woman, who made him do it." Caroline informed with a heavy sigh and lifted her head to look at Klaus, who looked at her with both confusion and rage.

"Jules. The werewolf at your sacrifice." Caroline explained with a slightly strained voice and both of them were having trouble looking at each other. Despite everything it was hard to forget all of the things Klaus had done when he first came to Mystic Falls.

"Caroline." Klaus spoke after a long moment of silence and she turned her eyes back to him. "You know that I can't apologize for what I did, love."

_Can't or won't?_

Caroline bit back her initial reaction because she already knew the answer to that question. _Yes_. He neither could nor would apologize. Instead of snapping at him, Caroline placed her head to rest against his chest once more and let out a small sigh.

"I know."

"And…?" Klaus asked with a surprisingly hesitant voice that made Caroline looked up at him once more.

"And…"Caroline repeated with a thoughtful gaze as her blue eyes met his. "I slept with you twice, Klaus. Shouldn't that answer your question?"

"Well, I think twice is a gross understatement, love." Klaus said with a smirk and a blush spread on Caroline's cheeks as she smacked his shoulder playfully.

"So where did you and Elijah go while I was sleeping?" Caroline then asked with a curious gaze in an attempt to distract herself from the heat that had started pooling under her navel.

"We were out searching for my dear mother, who seems to have disappeared altogether. And then we ran in to a couple of werewolves. It was a bit messy." Klaus told her casually and Caroline rolled over to lie on her back with a small sigh. Would she ever get used to him talking about death in such a way?

"Love…" Klaus spoke when the heat of Caroline's body left his and he saw the exasperated look on her face.

"It's fine, Klaus. I get it. That is how things work here and judging you for it won't change that." Caroline told him with a small shrug and found a surprised look in his eyes. "What?"

"You're not judging me?" Klaus asked teasingly with half a smirk and Caroline rolled her eyes in response.

"Oh, I'm always judging you." Caroline teased back as she leaned closer and hovered her face over his. A smirk was on her lips as she leaned down and caught his.

Caroline giggled against his mouth when her tongue found its way past Klaus' lips and into his mouth, making the hybrid groan lightly. Klaus' hand curled into her hair as he pressed her closer and Caroline let out a small moan as well, almost forgetting why she had kissed him in the first place.

"Like," Caroline breathed as she managed to pull away and looked down at him with a dazed smile, "how good of a kisser you are."

"And how am I doing?" Klaus murmured into her ear as he rolled them over so was on top of her, resting between her legs. Some of the sheets was tangled between them and created a barrier between their naked bodies, but Caroline still felt the heat radiating from Klaus.

_Perfect, which is beyond annoying._

"Maybe six out of ten?" Caroline said with a teasing voice that was overtaken by a gasp, when she felt Klaus' human teeth scrape against the skin of her neck. Subconsciously Caroline turned her head to give him better access and she could feel his full lips form a smirk against her skin.

Caroline's hips bucked upwards when his teeth dug into her neck, marking her skin with a small growl and pressed Caroline back on the bed using only his body. The blonde moaned as he grinded against her and the sheets between them were soon gone.

"Bite me." Caroline suddenly whispered through her clouded thoughts and Klaus lifted his head to look at her, making sure that she meant it.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Caroline gave him a small nod and Klaus placed a kiss on her lips before he started trailing his lips down her jaw and back to her jugular. Caroline's mouth fell open with a moan as Klaus' fangs pierced through her skin and at the same time thrust inside her.

The initial sting from the venom was quickly forgotten and Klaus set a fast but hard pace that made Caroline feel as if she was being punished for teasing him. The blood sharing made Caroline feel as if her skin was on fire and it wasn't long until she was close to the edge.

Klaus let out a small growl as she tucked him away from his neck by his hair and he started thrusting inside her slower and more deeply as he stared down at her. The auburn colour in his eyes hadn't left completely and Caroline's movements were slow as she reached up and caressed his cheek.

The heat in her navel had reached a level of painful pleasure and Caroline buried her fangs in Klaus' neck as the orgasm trembled through her body. Klaus found his release as Caroline's muscles started clenching around him, but several seconds went by before Caroline removed her teeth from his neck and licked off the spilled blood.

"Fine." Caroline said with a small sigh as Klaus rolled off her and she leaned over to kiss the remainder of her blood off his lips. "I guess we can change it to eight out of ten."

"Careful, love. I have no problem with making you scream my name over and over until you change your mind." Klaus hummed into her ear as he pulled her close and Caroline's heart would have beat out of her chest if she was still alive.

"Some other time maybe." Caroline told him with feigned casualness as she rose from the bed and found her tattered dress on the floor. She looked at it with a frown and the quickly discarded again.

"Some other time?" Klaus asked with a raised brow as he took in her naked form. Caroline made sure not to meet his gaze as she put on her underwear and pulled Klaus' shirt over her head. She already knew how that would end.

"I'm guessing my friends are coming soon to pick me up. And you have a mother to kill." Caroline explained and stared back as Klaus pulled on a pair of jeans. She knew there was another meaning to the question, but she really found no point in denying that there would definitely be 'some other time'.

"I suppose you're right, love." Klaus said as grabbed a new shirt from his closet and then turned to look at Caroline, who stood in his shirt that only the top of her thighs. "And you are going home in that?"

"Do you think maybe I could borrow some clothes from Hayley?" Caroline asked hesitantly as she crossed her arms in front of her, only making the shirt ride up her thighs further. "A dress or something?"

Caroline doubted she could fit into the tight jeans Hayley had strutted around in earlier. It wasn't that Caroline was bigger than Hayley, they were just differently build. Rebekah's clothes would have been a much better fit.

"Sure, I'll find something for you." Klaus told her with a smile and sent her one last appreciative glance before leaving the room.

"Thanks!" Caroline called after him and the buried her face in her hands, cursing herself for suddenly being so awkward around him. She was pretty sure that they had done things that would make even Damon Salvatore blush, but this part was new.

Their parting in the woods had been brief and Caroline had run before she could change her mind about the promise Klaus gave her. A promise she had broken for him by calling him four months ago.

But she couldn't run this time. She didn't really want to either. It wasn't as if she hadn't sneaked out on guys before. She had done it multiple times to Tyler until he had finally earned the right to wake up beside her.

Not that she actually had had that choice with Klaus, but they had stayed in bed for two hours after their first round. And then came the second… and the third. And they had _cuddled_. Caroline Forbes had cuddled with the big bad hybrid. Which all ended with the last and fourth round of mind blowing sex.

With a small shake of her head, Caroline walked to the adjoining bathroom and looked into the mirror. There was a strange glow in her eyes mixed with the exhaustion of being kidnapped… and other things. She tilted her head to the side and noticed that she had some of her own blood smeared across her neck from Klaus' bite.

Caroline bit her lower lip in thought as she into the mirror and then gave herself a determined nod as she pulled a towel from a cabinet and stripped down. She almost gasped as the hot water washed over her sore body and got lost in her own thoughts as she stood there for minutes.

It wasn't until she finally stepped out of the shower that she noticed Klaus hadn't come back yet and Caroline wrapped the soft towel around her before peering into the bedroom.

"Klaus?" Caroline called out hesitantly and made a small jump when he suddenly entered the room.

"Did I startle you?" Klaus asked with an amused tone and Caroline scowled back at him before turning her gaze to the clothes in his hands.

"How long were you gone?" she inquired as she stepped over to him and took the clothes from his hands.

"For as long it took you to shower." Klaus replied with a smirk, but his eyes didn't stray from hers.

"Oh yeah, I just really needed-" Caroline began to explain as she fiddled with the clothes but interrupted herself when she noticed the price tag on the dress. "Wait, you _bought_ this? Just now?"

"I thought you would appreciate some new clothes." Klaus told her with an almost proud smile and Caroline couldn't help but laugh.

"Thank you." she said and sent him a grateful smile in return.

"You're welcome, sweetheart." the hybrid replied and then turned on his heel to exit the room. "I'll leave you to it."

Caroline got dressed quickly – trying not to think about that she was now wearing underwear that Klaus had bought for her – and took a moment to admire the blue dress in the mirror. Of course, it was a perfect fit. She didn't have a brush so she let a damp curls fall as they may over her shoulders. A pair of ballerinas stood by the bed as well and Caroline jumped into them before exiting the bedroom.

Klaus was in the middle of pouring himself a drink when Caroline sat down on the sofa and she nodded at his silent offer to pour her one as well.

"I have one more question." Caroline said as she rested her legs on Klaus' lap and leaned back against the armrest.

"Of course you do." Klaus replied with a low chuckle, but there was no irritation behind his words.

"How did Esther get me here so fast? I'm pretty sure I was only out for a couple of hours and then I woke up in New Orleans. How is that even possible?" Caroline asked with confused expression on her face that made Klaus smile affectionately.

"We're not exactly sure, love. But Kol suggested a very powerful transportation spell, which is probably the reason for my mother's hiding. Such a spell and the one she did on you would have exhausted her and made her defenceless." Klaus explained as he kept his eyes on her and Caroline gave a small nod in understanding.

"That's so freaky." she muttered with a shake off her head and took a large sip from her drink, making Klaus laugh at her words.

It was weird seeing him so relaxed and… happy. Things were always so tense between them – either spiteful or sexual – but this was nice. It reminded her of their 'date' at the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. Hearing him laugh and fondly tease her had almost seemed unreal and Caroline had been at a loss with what to do with this new side of him.

"You never told me what you are thankful for." Klaus then said and Caroline blinked as she was pulled from her thoughts.

"Let's see." Caroline pondered with a thoughtful expression on her face and tilted her head to the right. "I am thankful that Bonnie is still alive somewhere in No Where Land. I am thankful that Damon is back, because now we know that Bonnie is alive. I am thankful that my mom is still alive and I'm generally just thankful that everyone is alive."

"Yes, I clearly see a theme here." Klaus mused with a teasing smile and – to her own surprise – Caroline stuck out her tongue at him.

"And," Caroline then continued with a deep breath, "I'm thankful that I'm here."

"Here?" Klaus questioned with disbelief and Caroline almost laughed at the expression on his face.

"Yes. Because now I can ignore all the what-if's in my head."

"You have a lot of those?"

"Sometimes." Caroline shrugged and then scooted closer to the hybrid. "Now I know that, right now, I don't belong here. That maybe someday I will and that you haven't forgotten about me."

"Believe me, I've tried." Klaus told her in a bittersweet tone as he pulled her onto his lap completely.

"I know." Caroline replied with a meaningful smile and Klaus frowned at her. "Perhaps you should stay away from people who look like me then. Was it Camille?"

"You were awake?" Klaus asked in surprise, wondering how much of their conversation she had heard.

"For some of it. I actually felt bad for her."

"And why is that, love?" Klaus inquired with a raised eyebrow, intrigued about the working of Caroline's mind. She always had so much sympathy for everyone where he had next to none.

"Because I know how it feels to be the second choice. To never be 'the one'." Caroline told with a sad smile as she stared into his eyes.

For some reason her heart started racing as Klaus leaned forward and softly pressed his lips against hers. She knew what the kiss meant and it left her completely breathless.

"Caroline, I-" Klaus started but his voice suddenly broke and Caroline smiled as he looked anywhere but her.

"I know, remember?" Caroline told him with a smile and pulled him for another kiss. It was short as a sudden clearing of a throat broke it off and they both turned their heads to see Hayley stand by the door with an uneasy look on her face.

"There's a British guy in the courtyard who is asking for Caroline." Hayley informed the pair and Caroline quickly got to her feet. "If this is another one of your crazy relatives, Klaus, I swear I will cut off their head."

"I think this one is mine." Caroline said with a small laugh and both hybrids frowned in confusion.

"Yours?" Hayley asked as her eyes switched between Caroline and Klaus, noticing how the other hybrid had tensed at Caroline's words.

"Enzo, right?" Caroline inquired and couldn't stop the smile spreading on her lips when Hayley nodded. "I can't believe I'm actually thankful for Enzo being here."

"And who is this Enzo?" Klaus asked in a slightly strained voice that made Hayley flash out of the room and Caroline roll her eyes.

"He's a friend. A horrible, murderous one, but I rather spent hours in a car with him than with Stefan." Caroline replied as she moved towards the exit without looking back.

"Caroline." Klaus called as he followed her into the hall and she spun around with a small sigh.

"There is nothing between Enzo and me, and even if there was it would be none of your business. I mean, he's like you. Just ten times more crazy. And I can barely handle one of you. So don't, Klaus. Please don't." Caroline told him in a stern voice that completely silenced the hybrid.

They stared at each other for a long moment before Klaus gave her a short nod and Caroline smiled triumphantly in return before grabbing his hand and dragging him with her.

As they made it to the railing, Caroline looked down to see Elijah and Enzo talk in the middle of the courtyard. She looked back at Klaus, who seemed just as surprised and then let go of his hand to walk down the stairs.

"Hello, gorgeous." Enzo called as soon as he laid his eyes on her and Caroline could feel Klaus' presence close behind her. "And Mr. Original-hybrid. What a pleasure."

Enzo's smirk didn't falter even as Klaus moved to stand right in front of him and he casually reached out to shake the hybrid's hand. Klaus stared down at the hand for a long moment and didn't take it before Caroline let out an impatient sigh.

"Call me Klaus." the hybrid said in a tight voice but Enzo's smile only widened.

"Lorenzo, but my friends call me Enzo."

"Well then, Lorenzo," Klaus spoke and Enzo's eyes twinkled with amusement as he looked between Caroline and Klaus. "I was under the impression that Stefan would come and pick up Caroline."

"Yes, but you see, mate, things are little strained between them, so I thought I'd do everyone a favour and come instead." Enzo told with a small wink at Caroline that didn't go unnoticed by anyone. Caroline sent him a deadly glare, hoping that he knew that he would be signing his own death certificate if he told Klaus about her former crush on Stefan.

"Is that so?" Klaus sneered at the vampire, who kept that ridiculous smirk on his face, and Caroline quickly pulled the hybrid away by his hand. Enzo looked as if he was having the time of his life.

"Go wait outside, okay? I'll be there in a minute." Caroline told Enzo with a glare and the vampire rolled his eyes before nodding at Klaus and Elijah.

"Thinks I'm a bloody dog." they all heard Enzo mumbled and a smirk had spread on Klaus' lips.

"You call him your friend?" Klaus then asked as he glared down at Caroline, who crossed her arms in front of her.

"Yes." she replied in a flat voice and sent Klaus a challenging glare in return. If he really wanted to ruin the last few hours they had spent together, then here was his chance. Luckily, the hybrid remained silent and there was a small smile on Elijah's lips as Caroline turned towards him.

"Thank you, Elijah, for helping. And again, I'm really sorry for the whole Katherine thing and-" Caroline told the Original but was caught off by Klaus grabbing her hand as he sent her a silencing look.

"It is of no matter, Caroline." Elijah replied with a small smile, but Caroline could hear the strain on his voice and noticed the glare he sent his brother's way. "Please, do call if you experience any discomfort regarding the compulsion."

"I will." Caroline said with a nod and sent him one last smile before he walked away. Her eyes then glided upwards, where she found Hayley looking down on them. She sent the hybrid a small smile as well that was returned with a wave before Hayley left as well.

Caroline then turned her eyes back to Klaus, who was staring at her as if he hadn't seen her for years. Or wouldn't see her again at all. Their lips found each other in a slow but claiming kiss and several seconds went by before Caroline pulled away.

"When all of this is over…" Klaus called after her as she started walking away and Caroline turned around with a wide smile on her lips.

"Call me." Caroline said with a small laugh. "Then I'll check my calendar."

"Happy thanksgiving, love." Klaus told her in a low voice, knowing that she could hear him despite the several meters of distance between them.

"Happy thanksgiving." Caroline replied with a soft smile and then disappeared into the shadows.


	10. Driving home

"You know, Blondie, you should be a little more careful the next time you decide to shag a werewolf." Enzo told her with an amused smirk on his lips as they drove out of New Orleans. Caroline's eyes widened in alarm and her mouth dropped open as she turned her head to stare at the vampire.

"Excuse me?!" Caroline exclaimed with indignation that only made Enzo's smirk wider.

"Oh, I'm not judging you, love. I was just wondering how you are going to explain that suspicious mark on your neck to your friends." Enzo spoke as he shot a quick glance at Caroline's neck that was covered by her blonde curls.

He had noticed the strange markings when Caroline absentmindedly had calmed a hand through her hair and in that way revealed the skin of her neck momentarily.

"What are you talking about?" Caroline asked with a frown, not sure whether to feel more embarrassed that Enzo knew about her and Klaus or angry that he had pointed it out so blatantly. Most of all she was just confused.

She narrowed her eyes at the Brit when he reached out and pulled back her hair without taking his eyes off the road. Caroline then pushed away his hand and lifted the hair herself, using the car mirror to look at her neck.

"What the fuck?!" Caroline gasped incredulously when she saw the indents on her neck that looked a lot like teeth marks. Enzo let out a laugh when the curse left the blonde's mouth, but Caroline was too busy to notice.

Slowly she reached up to touch the marks and winced slightly when she felt how sore her skin was. Her mind was reeling as she tried to figure out where they came from and a deep blush crept to her cheeks when she remembered Enzo's words about sleeping with a werewolf.

Klaus hadn't bit her with his vampire teeth only. Just before that his human teeth had dug into her skin and Caroline could still remember the exhilarating feeling that had shot through her, coaxing her to ask him to bite her; marking her properly, she know realised.

"What does this mean?" Caroline asked with an almost panicked voice as she continued to stare at the mark on her neck. It had suddenly all become a little too much like some angsty werewolf fiction she didn't want any part in.

"Well, I'm no expert." Enzo said with a small shrug, clearly enjoying Caroline's flustered state.

"Enzo." Caroline hissed at him, sensing that he knew more than he was letting on. She couldn't believe her bad luck. She had only spent fifteen minutes out of a fifteen hour car ride with Enzo and he had already found out about her and Klaus. Those fifteen hours suddenly felt like fifteen days.

"Easy, darling! I'll tell you what I know." Enzo surrendered but the smile never left his lips. "Ever since I found out the existence of werewolves wasn't a joke, I decided to do a little research. Always nice to know about their weaknesses when your boyfriend is the only one who has the cure for a bite. You know, I didn't realise how much of your type I actually was. I'm surprised we haven't slept together yet. Just say the word, gorgeous."

"Enzo, I swear to God I will kill you if you don't tell me what you know right now." Caroline sneered at him and Enzo's smile faltered the slightest as he took in the panic in the blonde's eyes. This was getting to her more than he had realised.

"Werewolves are very possessive as you might know. Not only with their territories but also with their… mates." Enzo started explaining and Caroline let out a disbelieving laugh.

"Tell me you don't believe in some fictional crap where two people are meant to be because of some biological bullshit about them being mates." Caroline interrupted with raised eyebrows and Enzo rolled his eyes in return.

"As you said that only happens in fiction. This is real life."

"So what does this mean in real life?"

"The werewolves _choose_ their own mates. Some are predetermined to be mated because of politics and what not, but there is no such thing as 'meant to be'." Enzo explained and Caroline let out a small sigh in relief. Being destined to be with someone – and then Klaus of all people – was a little more than she would have been able to handle.

"When they have chosen a mate and the mate has accepted their advances, they mark them. It's a symbolic gesture and contrary to popular belief means nothing biologically." Enzo continued and Caroline found herself being more curious than she probably should be. "The mark is made during the mating process where after the female werewolf produces more pheromones than usually to attract the male. The mark shows the other werewolves to stay away or get ready to stay dead."

"But I'm a vampire and dead. I don't even produce pheromones." Caroline replied with a confused voice and Enzo had to tear his eyes away from the small pout her lips created.

"I would say it still is a pretty clear sign to stay away." Enzo said and the blonde let out an irritated groan.

"I can't believe he did this!" she exclaimed angrily, but Enzo could sense that the display was more for appearances sake.

"Well, love, it only worked because you let him." he reminded her with a half-smirk and Caroline was suddenly busy with looking anywhere else but at him. In her head she sent a silent prayer that Enzo would never find out that she had actually asked for it herself.

"So… how long until it goes away?" Caroline asked after a long pause and Enzo watched her speculatively.

"For a werewolf it's a month. But since vampires are faster healers I would say a couple of weeks or so."

"Seriously?!" Caroline murmured to herself and winced when she glided her fingers over the markings once more. She ignored the warm feeling that was slowly spreading in her stomach and reached out to turn on the radio with a small shake of her head.

They were only halfway through November but Christmas songs were already playing everywhere and Caroline leaned back in her seat with a small sigh as a familiar tune filled the silence. Christmas had always been her favourite time of the year.

_So I sing for you  
>Though you can't hear me<br>When I get through  
>And feel you near me<br>I'm driving home for Christmas  
>Driving home for Christmas<br>With a thousand memories_

* * *

><p><strong>So that was all for this crossover. I know the marking thing is a bit silly, but I thought of it, laughed and then had to write it down:) Anyway, I might write a one chapter crossover soon (when my exams are over). It will probably just be a phone call between our favourite blonde and hybrid about what has happened in their lives since Caroline went home. I won't write it until after 5th of January, though. <strong>

**Merry Christmas! And a happy new year!;)  
>God jul og godt nytår!:D<strong>


	11. Late night revelations

_Happy (belated) Klarosex annivesary. Yes, it's been a freaking year since we've had any Klaroline interaction at all. We've had a few mentions, but they've been scarce. This is one hell of a fandom to be in, but as long as we don't lose hope (that's gonna be more fun after you've read this chapter) everything isn't lost yet._

_Keep calm and ship Klaroline._

_This small crossover takes place after the midseason finales of TO and TVD. I know the timelines are a little messed up, but just ignore that. See you at the bottom. _

* * *

><p>Caroline's eyes were swimming from staring at the screen of her phone for almost an hour. And from crying and exhaustion. The hospital room was eerily quiet except for the constant beat of her mother's heart. A noise Caroline had grown acutely aware of as soon as Stefan had told her about the life threatening tumour that had infested Elizabeth Forbes' brain.<p>

Alone with her thoughts Caroline still had trouble comprehending what was going on and she found that she needed someone to talk to. Someone who didn't know about the impossible situation she had been put in and couldn't look at her as if Caroline's entire world was falling apart. It wasn't. Not yet anyway. There had to be a solution to this and she was going to find it.

Which was why she had pulled out her phone and had now been staring at his name for 53 minutes without pressing call. With everything going on she hadn't spoken with him since she had seen him last and he hadn't called either so Caroline was ignoring the fact that she was actually missing him the tiniest bit.

Caroline was sat in almost complete darkness as her mother slept in the hospital bed and only a small lamp beside Caroline's chair revealed her presence to human eyes. The nurses had told her to go home a couple of hours earlier and she had compelled them to believe that she had followed their orders.

Her eyes glided over her mother's still form and Caroline took a small rattling breath to keep away the tears as she finally tapped the name on the screen of her phone. It was half past midnight but she knew that New Orleans was one hour behind and she doubted that the Original hybrid was one to go to bed early.

"_Caroline?_" his voice rang softly from the other end and she felt herself smile involuntarily.

"Hey." Caroline greeted just as softly and for a moment she didn't know what else to say. "Am I disturbing?"

"_Of course not, love._" Klaus assured her, but she couldn't help but notice how low his voice was as if he was trying to be silent. "_What can I do for you?_"

"Nothing." she answered quickly as she didn't want him to think she was just calling for a favour and another long pause ensued. It sort of reminded Caroline of the first time she had called him and he had been almost stunned to silence while Caroline had fumbled for words.

"_Is everything okay?_" he asked when Caroline kept silent and the blonde swallowed the lump in her throat as she looked anywhere but at her mother.

"Sure." Caroline replied with a nervous laughter that she knew he probably noticed but to her surprise he didn't comment on it. "I was just wondering, you know, about your mother and stuff. Did you find her?"

"_We did. But not before she found Rebekah_." Klaus told her in a dark voice and Caroline's breath hitched as she realised the possible complications of that discovery.

"Oh God, is everyone okay?" Caroline asked in a rushed manner as she stood up from her chair in a sudden burst of restlessness.

"_Everyone is alive, somewhere. Well, except for my dear mother._" Klaus said in a serious voice but there was an almost humorous tone to it as he spoke of his mother.

"You killed her?!" Caroline exclaimed a little too loudly and she quickly peeked out the closed curtains to see if anyone had heard her. All she saw was an empty hall so she returned to her pacing in front of Liz's bed.

"_In a manner of speaking_." Klaus chuckled and Caroline ignored the small shiver that went down her spine as the sound of his careless laughter. Despite everything Esther had done she was still his mother, but for Klaus that didn't mean anything anymore.

"Wait a second." Caroline said hesitantly as she tried to figure out what he meant and her eyes widened in realisation. "You turned your mother into a vampire?!"

"_Have I ever told you how much I love that mind of yours?_" he told her in a husky voice that made Caroline roll her eyes and blush simultaneously.

"You said that everyone was alive 'somewhere'?" Caroline asked confusedly as she quickly steered their conversation away from the flirting and death mothers.

"_Esther used her magic to transfer Rebekah into a mortal body before I managed to kill her._" he informed her with an irritated growl and Caroline felt her jaw drop slightly.

"Wow, how is that going for her?" she inquired curiously and had to force herself not to giggle. She knew about Rebekah's desire to be human again, but the Original blonde probably hadn't imagined doing it in someone else's body.

"_I'll let you know when she returns our calls, sweetheart._"

"You've lost her?! You know, I keep thinking that we have it bad here, but your family really puts everything into perspective." Caroline mused with a small smile; not sure what was in any way fun about the situation.

"_I'm glad that we can be to some amusement._" Klaus muttered, but he didn't seem angry with her comment. "_Tell me, what has happened in Mystic Falls since we last talked? Has the Bennett witch returned?_"

"No." Caroline replied with a sad sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose to hold back her tears. Her best friend was still stuck somewhere on the Other Side and with everything going on no one had time to find a way to get her out.

"But we have had quite the family drama here as well." she quickly continued before Klaus could take pity on her and the hybrid made a questioning sound on the other end. "Ever heard of the Gemini coven?"

"_Ah yes, they are a nasty bunch. I tried to rid the world of them a couple of centuries ago, but they vanished. They are quite nifty with their cloaking spells._" Klaus told her casually and Caroline almost let out a small sigh.

"Let's talk about your murderous adventures some other time, okay?" Caroline replied and the hybrid let out a small chuckle in response. "Anyway, forty years ago Malachai and Josette Parker were born into the coven and they were expected to merge in 1994, but since Malachai was bat-shit crazy and they couldn't risk him being the one to survive, they had more children until another set of twins was born."

"That was Liv and Lucas Parker. They came here when we had all the trouble with the Travellers, but didn't do a really good job with helping. I already told you most of this, but as we now know Bonnie and Damon got stuck somewhere on the Other Side, where they had to relieve the tenth of May 1994 every single day.

"But they weren't alone, because in 1994 Malachai – or we just call him Kai – slaughtered most of his family so the coven created this prison world just for him. Then Damon escaped and now Kai is out as well. And as it turns out his twin sister is Alaric's new girlfriend. So now Kai wants to merge with her, but she doesn't really have any powers and he is absolutely off the rails. Plus now he has absorbed the Travellers' Spell from Mystic Falls so now he has way too much power. But at least we can go home again."

There was a moment of silence after Caroline finished rambling as if Klaus was waiting to see if she had finished and a small gurgling noise was heard from his end, making Caroline frown in concentration to identify the sound.

"_That does sound like quite the debacle. Is there a reason to why Damon hasn't killed him yet?_" Klaus spoke as if Caroline hadn't just told him about a psychopathic warlock, who was on a killing rampage in Mystic Falls.

"Well, it's kind of hard now that he has so much power, but we sort have to make sure that he merge with his sister _and_ lose since Liv and Lucas would have to merge otherwise." Caroline explained and pursed her lips when the gurgling sound reached her ears again. It sounded strangely human, but not violent as if Klaus was in the midst of strangling someone as they spoke.

"And before you ask; no, we can't just let them kill each other or stay out of it. This is people we care about. And we're not just going to release Kai on the world and wait until you guys have time to kill him." Caroline quickly added and she could almost hear Klaus smiling at her.

"_Do you really think that low of me?"_ he asked in a teasing voice and Caroline scowled at his words. Of course he had to use those exact words.

The words that had made Caroline willingly call up the big bad hybrid more than one year later because she _needed_ him. Maybe if she had said no. If she had been more afraid and timid. If she hadn't been Caroline. Then maybe this conversation would never have taken place. She couldn't decide how she felt about that.

"Yes." Caroline replied in a voice that imitated his and Klaus' laughter almost made her miss the sound of two small sneezes. "Who was that?"

"_Caroline_." Klaus sighed but didn't continue as knew that she already had guessed it and what her next question would be.

"Can I- can I see her?" Caroline asked with an almost pleading voice and she could practically hear Klaus draw breath for the negative reply he was about to give her.

"_Where are you, love_?" he questioned instead and Caroline couldn't help but smile.

"I'm with my mom in the hospital. She's sleeping and no one else is here." she told him as she checked the hallway once more and found it empty still. Caroline hadn't planned on telling him about her mother, but she wasn't going to lie either.

"_What happened?_"

"She fainted suddenly and the doctors wanted to keep her overnight." Caroline replied and she felt the lump return in her throat as she glanced at her mother.

"_There's more._" was all he said and Caroline swallowed hard as the tears in her eyes threatened to spill. There was a long moment of silence as she fought to get her voice back and she was surprised when the request for a video call suddenly pinged from her phone.

Caroline sighed softly as his face appeared on her screen and his blue eyes studied her intently. She tried to send him a smile but gave up when she felt her lower lip quiver. She knew he was waiting for her to explain but it felt as if her tongue had tied itself into a knot.

"_Caroline_," Klaus spoke when the blonde seemed to have lost her voice and a small gasp escaped her when a new face suddenly appeared on Caroline's screen, "_I would like you to meet Hope._"

Caroline clutched her phone in her hand as she stared down at it and she felt a genuine smile spread on her lips when a pair of round blue eyes met hers. The five months old girl in Klaus' arms were staring at her through the phone and Caroline couldn't help but giggle as Hope reached for Klaus' phone and he had to pull it away.

"She's beautiful." Caroline whispered as Hope pulled a face and tried to reach higher. She heard Klaus murmur "_I know_" so she added teasingly: "I suppose she takes mostly after her mother."

"_Careful, love, or I'll tell Hayley that you just complimented her._" Klaus warned her but she could hear the smile in his voice.

"We can't have that." Caroline laughed and then went silent when a toothless grin appeared on Hope's face. A familiar gurgling sound came from the girl and Caroline was stunned as she realised Hope was laughing back at her.

"Hi, sweetie." the blonde called in a suddenly brittle voice as Hope stared at her with gleeful eyes.

Caroline couldn't help but laugh back at the little girl and she quickly wiped away the tear that rolled down her cheek. She wasn't sure why she was reacting like this and Caroline started to sniffle as if to stop the tears that stubbornly fell from her eyes. 

"_Caroline?_" Klaus' deep voice sounded on the other end and Caroline watched as Hope disappeared and she was once again faced with Klaus.

"My mom is dying." she blurted out and then placed a hand over her mouth to silence a sob. Caroline took a rattling breath and wiped her right cheek with the back of her hand as she met Klaus' stare. "It's cancer. A tumour in the brain and I have no idea what to do."

"_I'm sorry, love. I wish there was something I could do to help._" Klaus told with a sympathetic look in his eyes that made Caroline end the video call and put her phone back to her ear. It was that exact look that she had wanted to avoid and for some reason it only felt worse when it came from him.

"Have you ever tried healing a cancer patient with your blood?" Caroline asked hesitantly as she somewhat managed to recollect herself and fall back to what she did best: not give up.

"_Yes._" he replied after a small pause and Caroline's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Why?"

"_Curiosity._"

"What happened? Did it work?" Caroline inquired eagerly but her stomach dropped as soon as she heard Klaus sigh.

"_There is only so much magic can do, sweetheart._" Klaus said apologetically, but Caroline refused to sit by and watch her mother die if there was some way to stop it.

"Did the person have a tumour?"

"_Leukaemia, but I believe the result will be the same._"

"But you don't know for sure." Caroline argued as her eyes glided over her mother's sleeping form.

"_I would have heard if vampire blood could be used to cure any sort of cancer, love._" Klaus told her carefully and she let out an irritated huff.

"Stefan said the same thing. What am I supposed to do with that?!" Caroline exclaimed as she stood up and started pacing the room.

"_Listen. And let the doctors do what they can._" he advised her and Caroline almost felt like laughing at how ridiculously human he suddenly sounded. But she couldn't. Not now when it felt as if all energy had been sucked out of her.

"I'm going to be an orphan." Caroline stated flatly as she stopped in front of her mother's bed and stared down at her.

"_You will get through this, love._" Klaus urged her and Caroline felt herself deflate as she moved back into her chair. She knew this would have happened one day, but this was too soon. Elizabeth Forbes was supposed to sleep in peacefully at the age of 94 after a long and somewhat happy life.

"It isn't supposed to happen like this." Caroline whispered tearfully and reached out for her mother's hand. "I still need her. I need her for my college graduation, my wedding, all these important moments when you need a parent."

"_Find another doctor and get his opinion._" Klaus suggested insistently and Caroline was relieved that he ignored her slip-up about getting married. She knew it was just a silly dream from her human years that was still stuck in her head, but it was one she wasn't ready to let go of yet. Just like she wasn't ready to let go of her mother.

"_And get a third and fourth opinion as well. As tedious as it may sound you will have to do this the human way. Unless you are willing to make her one of the undead._" he continued and there was a long moment of silence as Caroline contemplated his words. She wouldn't turn her mother unless she asked her to, but she didn't have much faith in the doctors either.

"She would hate me if I turned her." Caroline said with a sad smile as she caressed her mother's hand, but was brought out of her reverie when she picked up the sound of approaching steps from the hall.

"_Love_-" Klaus spoke softly, but Caroline quickly cut him off.

"Someone is coming." she informed in a low voice and she heard him let out a small sigh.

"_I wish I could be of more help_."

"You did help. You showed me that there's still hope." Caroline told him with a smile in her voice and she knew that he understood the double meaning of her words.

"Blondie?" a new voice asked and light flooded the dark room as Damon stepped inside.

"_Goodbye, Caroline. Give my best to your mother._" Klaus spoke from his end as he had probably heard Damon's voice and Caroline tried to ignore how his words almost mirrored Enzo's from when her mother had been taken hostage. 

"Bye." was all she said in response before she hung up and turned her attention to the other vampire in the room.

"Had a nice talk with your boyfriend?" Damon questioned as he smirked at her, but the smile dropped as his gaze landed on the sheriff.

Caroline had never learned to understand the friendship between her mother and Damon, but she was sort of happy that her mother had someone else besides her. Even if it was Damon Salvatore.

"I wasn't- he isn't-" Caroline tried to explain, but it seemed pointless to lie to Damon. He wouldn't believe her anyway. "Why are you here?"

"Stefan told me about Liz." Damon replied as he for some odd reason refrained from commenting further about her phone call. She knew that she had heard Klaus' voice through the phone and her denials had barely been half-assed. "I'm sorry, Caroline."

"Thanks." she sighed when she couldn't think of anything else to say. "Wait, aren't you supposed to be with Elena right now? Can't imagine you missing that chance for anything."

"I got stood up." Damon told her with a careless shrug but Caroline could sense how much it bothered him.

She frowned at Elena's missing appearance since she was sure that the doppelgänger had decided to give Damon a chance and hadn't called Caroline about any change of plans. Of course Caroline had other things on her mind and Elena probably didn't want to bother her with her love life.

"Can't really blame her." Caroline couldn't help but tease and to her surprise Damon smiled back at her.

"So I take it you're over my brother?" Damon shot back as he spun their conversation back to her and Caroline scoffed at him.

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Caroline stated as she crossed her arms in front of her and Damon placed himself in the armchair beside the door.

"It is if Stefan is starting to like you. I don't want him hurt, Blondie. Not by you and definitely not by your freaky hybrid boyfriend." he told her in a serious voice and Caroline almost smiled at how much he cared.

"Because you've hurt him enough already?" she asked instead with a small tilt of her head and she watched Damon's eyes grow dark for a moment.

"Yes." was all he said and Caroline just nodded at him.

"He disappeared for four months, Damon. Ignored all of my calls and when I finally found him he dumped his girlfriend on me and tried to skip town again. I deserve more than that. And Klaus _is not_ my boyfriend. But he is my friend. And in some cruel twist of fate I actually rely on him."

"I can't say I get it. Not after everything Klaus has done. But I'm not judging you." Damon shrugged and Caroline narrowed her eyes in suspicion. It wasn't like Damon to be this calm and understanding. "You should go home and get some sleep, Caroline. I'll stay here."

Caroline shifted her eyes to her mother and stared at her for a long moment before agreeing with a deep sigh. At least she needed a change of clothes. And she needed to find those second opinions on her mother's case as well, so in the end she stood up with a nod.

"Thanks." she said with a small smile and then leaned down to place a kiss on her mother's forehead. "See you."

Caroline picked up her jacket and was about to exit the door when Damon suddenly grabbed her wrist. She looked down at him with a stunned expression and for a long moment he seemed unable to meet her gaze.

"You know I'm sorry, right?" Damon questioned in an uncertain voice as he rose from his chair and his piercing blue eyes finally met hers. "About everything."

"Everything?"

"When I first came to Mystic Falls I was so intent on hurting Stefan and finding Katherine. I didn't care who got in the way and even when I started to… I've always been crappy at apologies. Just ask Ric. But I hope you know that I am ashamed of what I did. Especially to you."

Caroline stared at Damon with wide eyes as she hardly believed what she was hearing. What Damon had done to her more than two years ago wasn't something she had ever forgotten – when she had finally gotten the memories back – but she had fought hard to push it away and pretend it had never happened like everyone else did.

"I didn't know because you never told me. Actually no one told me." Caroline managed to stammer out and there was a pained expression on Damon's face as he stared down at the fragile blonde.

"I'm sorry." Damon repeated and found himself unable to look at her once again as a tear found its way down her cheek.

"Why now?" Caroline demanded after a long moment of silence and a small smile spread on Damon's lips.

"Bonnie."

"I still can't believe the two of you managed four months in that place together. And I can't believe Bonnie is still there." Caroline said with a shake of her head and couldn't help but smile at the thought of Bonnie and Damon co-existing for so long without killing each other.

"As soon as Kai is taken care of, I swear that I'll do anything to bring Bonnie back." Damon promised as caught her gaze and placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. Caroline stared back at him and then nodded.

"Is this where we hug?" Damon continued with half a smile on his lips and Caroline rolled her eyes at him.

"No. This is where I accept your apology and we go back to annoying each other." Caroline told him as she stepped away from his touch and reached for the door. "Goodnight, Satan."

"Goodnight, Barbie."

* * *

><p><strong>Hope that wasn't too bad. I might have gotten out some frustrations over Steroline and I finally got a chance to make Damon apologize so I took it! I hope the characters weren't too OOC. It's always hard to write emotional scenes with characters who pretend not to have any emotions. <strong>**Don't know if there'll be another crossover at some point. Depends on where the seasons take us and if I have any brilliant ideas. **

_**However long it takes. **_


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